Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The prolonged course of UC and the lack of effective treatment management make it difficult to cure, affecting the health and life safety of patients. Although UC has received more attention, the etiology and pathogenesis of UC are still unclear. Therefore, it is urgent to establish an updated and comprehensive understanding of UC and explore effective treatment strategies. Notably, sufficient evidence shows that the intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis of UC, and the treating method aimed at improving the balance of the intestinal microbiota exhibits a therapeutic potential for UC. This article reviews the relationship between the genetic, immunological and microbial risk factors with UC. At the same time, the UC animal models related to intestinal microbiota dysbiosis induced by chemical drugs were evaluated. Finally, the potential value of the therapeutic strategies for restoring intestinal microbial homeostasis and treating UC were also investigated. Comprehensively, this study may help to carry out preclinical research, treatment theory and methods, and health management strategy of UC, and provide some theoretical basis for TCM in the treatment of UC.

The promotion of liver regeneration is crucial to avoid liver failure after hepatectomy. Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) and Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide (AMP) have been identified as being associated with hepatoprotective effects. However, their roles and specific mechanisms in liver regeneration remain to be elucidated. In the present study, it suggested that the respective use of ASP or AMP strikingly promoted hepatocyte proliferation in vitro with a wide range of concentrations (from 12.5 μg/mL to 3200 μg/mL), and a stronger promoting effect was observed in combined interventions. A significantly enhanced liver/body weight ratio (4.20%) on day 7 and reduced serum transaminase (ALT 243.53 IU/L and AST 423.74 IU/L) and total bilirubin (52.61 IU/L) levels on day 3 were achieved by means of ASP-AMP administration after partial hepatectomy in mice. Metabonomics showed that differential metabolites were enriched in glycolysis with high expression of beta-d-fructose 6-phosphate and lactate, followed by significantly strengthened lactate secretion in the supernatant (0.54) and serum (0.43) normalized to control. Upon ASP-AMP treatment, the knockdown of hexokinase 2 (HK2) or inhibited glycolysis caused by 2-deoxy-d-glucose decreased hepatocyte proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, pathway analysis predicted the role of JAK2/STAT3 pathway in ASP-AMP-regulated liver regeneration, and phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 was proven to be elevated in this promoting process. Finally, downregulated expression of HK2, an attenuated level of lactate secretion, and reduced hepatocyte proliferation were displayed when STAT3 was knocked out in vitro. Therefore, it can be concluded that ASP-AMP accelerated liver regeneration and exerted a hepatoprotective effect after hepatectomy, in which the JAK2/STAT3/HK2 pathway was actively involved in activating glycolysis.

Dahuang-Gancao decoction (DGD) is a traditional Chinese medicinal formula that is recorded in the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, and is widely used to treat damp-heat in the body. Since the pathological factors of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) also reflect damp-heat blockage, DGD has great potential for the treatment of AGA and has been used effectively in clinical practice. The aim of the study was to investigate whether external application of DGD could promote the activation and proliferation of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and improve AGA through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The main chemical components of DGD-contained serum were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and database search. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) was used to investigate the appropriate concentration. Hair regeneration was assessed by hair growth score and histopathological staining. The proliferation of HFSCs and the activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway were detected by Western blot, immunofluorescence staining, real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The AGA mouse model was induced by external application of testosterone (T). Immunofluorescence staining was performed to localize HFSCs by CK15, followed by staining with Ki67, β-catenin, and Cyclin D1, respectively. The results illustrated that the 10% DGD group and the 10% DGD + HLY78 group could significantly promote the expression of Wnt10b and β-catenin and the proliferation of HFSCs in vitro, while the 10% DGD + IWR-1 group could reverse the promotion effect of DGD. Animal experiments showed that compared with the model group (T group), DGD promoted hair follicles to enter the anagen phase, as evidenced by an increase in hair growth score, an increase in the number of hair follicles in hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and a significant increase in the ratio of the number of anagen follicles to the total number of hair follicles (AF/AF + TF). In addition, DGD upregulated the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway proteins in the skin tissues of AGA mice. It also promoted the proliferation of HFSCs and the expression of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 cytokines in the region of HFSCs. Both oral and external application of DGD can promote the proliferation of HFSCs by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. External application of DGD can promote the hair follicles to enter the anagen phase, which can ameliorate the symptoms of alopecia in AGA mice. Therefore, compared to oral DGD, external application of DGD is an effective and safer way of administration for the treatment of AGA.

Evodia rutaecarpa, the near-ripe fruit of Euodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth, Euodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. var. officinalis (Dode) Huang, or Euodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. var. bodinieri (Dode) Huang, is a famous herbal medicine with several biological activities and therapeutic values, which has been applied for abdominalgia, abdominal distension, vomiting, and diarrhea as a complementary and alternative therapy in clinic. Indole alkaloids, particularly evodiamine (EVO), rutaecarpine (RUT), and dedhydroevodiamine (DHE), are received rising attention as the major bioactivity compounds in Evodia rutaecarpa. Therefore, this review summarizes the physicochemical properties, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, and therapeutic effects on gastrointestinal diseases of these three indole alkaloids with original literature collected by PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and CNKI up to June 2023. Despite sharing the same parent nucleus, EVO, RUT, and DHE have different structural and chemical properties, which result in different advantages of biological effects. In their wide range of pharmacological activities, the anti-migratory activity of RUT is less effective than that of EVO, and the neuroprotection of DHE is significant. Additionally, although DHE has a higher bioavailability, EVO and RUT display better permeabilities within blood-brain barrier. These three indole alkaloids can alleviate gastrointestinal inflammatory in particular, and EVO also has outstanding anti-cancer effect, although clinical trials are still required to further support their therapeutic potential.