Background. Spleen deficiency diarrhea (SDD) is a common Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) gastrointestinal condition, the causes of which include dysfunction of the intestinal barrier and microbiota. Rice water-fried Atractylodis Rhizoma (RAR) is a commonly used drug to treat this condition, but its mechanism remains unclear. This study explored the related mechanisms of ethanolic extract of rice water-fried Atractylodis Rhizoma (EAR) in the treatment of SDD by examining changes in the intestinal microbiota. Method. Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups including the control, model, EAR low, and high-dose groups, 6 rats in each group. All rats, except the control group, were induced to develop SDD by a bitter-cold purgation method with rhubarb. The therapeutic effect of EAR on SDD was evaluated by pathological sections, inflammatory indicators (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10), gastrointestinal-related indicators (GAS, DAO, D-lactate, VIP, and SIgA), and intestinal flora (bacteria and fungi) analysis. Results. The results showed that the developed SDD rat model (model group) showed weight loss, decreased food intake, and increased fecal moisture content. Compared with those of the control group, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, DAO, D-lactate, and VIP in the model group were significantly increased, but the levels of IL-10, GAS and SIgA were significantly decreased ( ). However, the indicators were significantly improved after EAR treatment, indicating that EAR maintained the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and reduced gastric emptying, thereby protecting intestinal barrier function, alleviating intestinal mucosal injury, and relieving SDD by regulating the release of neurotransmitters. EAR was also shown to prevent infection by promoting the accumulation of noninflammatory immunoglobulin SIgA and improving intestinal mucosal immunity to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Intestinal microbiome analysis showed that the intestinal bacteria and fungi of SDD model rats changed greatly compared with the control group, resulting in intestinal microecological imbalance. The reversal in the composition of the flora after EAR treatment was mainly characterized by a large enrichment of beneficial bacteria represented by Lactobacillus and a decrease in the abundance of potentially pathogenic fungi represented by Aspergillus. Thus, it was speculated that EAR primarily functions to alleviate SDD by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria and reducing the abundance of potentially pathogenic fungi. Conclusion. The strong therapeutic effect of EAR on SDD suggests that it is a promising treatment for this condition.

This review examines the historical development, ethnopharmacology, traditional applications, phytochemistry, and pharmacological attributes of Atractylodis Rhizoma (AR). Data were collected from a range of electronic databases, academic libraries, and classical literature. In China, AR is highly valued for its medicinal properties. Research has identified 327 compounds, including sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, and phenolics, which contribute to its diverse pharmacological activities, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. AR is particularly effective in treating modern gastrointestinal disorders and influenza. As a traditional herb with a rich historical background, AR exhibits significant therapeutic potential. This review aims to correlate its active components with its primary therapeutic effects and highlight existing research gaps. Current studies primarily focus on extraction methods and pharmacodynamics. Future research should employ multi-omics and molecular biology techniques to further elucidate active components and their targets, while also addressing the challenge of low bioavailability.

(1) Background: Establishment of a method for evaluating Gentianae Radix et Rhizoma (GRR) classes based on chemical composition and core efficacy; (2) Methods: Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) was used to determine the chemical constituents of GRR-first class (GF) and GRR-second class (GS). The cell viability, liver function, oxidative stress enzyme activity, and inflammatory factor levels of GF and GS on H₂O₂-induced HepG2 cells were determined with CCK-8, ELISA, and biochemical methods, and the antioxidant activity of the two was evaluated using bioefficacy; ELISA, biochemical methods, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method, and Western blot (WB) were used to determine the liver function, oxidative stress enzyme activity, inflammatory factor levels, and expression of related genes and proteins in mice with acute liver injury (ALI) model induced with 0.3% CCl₄ olive oil solution after gavage administration; (3) Results: GF and GS had the same types of components, but the cyclic enol ether terpenes such as morinlon goside c, loganin, gentiopicroside, and swertiamarin differed significantly between the two; the effect of GF on CCl₄-induced acute hepatic injury in C57BL/6 mice was stronger compared to GS. It helped alleviate weight loss, increase hepatic and splenic indices, improve hepatic lobular structure and hepatocyte status, inhibit collagen deposition, enhance oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory-related genes and protein expression, and decrease apoptotic genes and proteins more significantly than GS; (4) Conclusions: In this study, we established a GRR class evaluation method combining chemical composition and core medicinal effects, which can rapidly determine the differential composition of GF and GS, detect the quality of GRR through antioxidant bioefficacy, and validate it with in vivo experiments, which provides references for the evaluation of the class of GRR and the rational use of medication in the clinic.

Ethnopharmacological relevance : Atractylodes chinensis has therapeutic effects such as soothing the liver and relieving depression, as well as strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the stomach. It is widely used to treat various digestive system disorders, such as alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The essential oil is the primary active component in the rhizomes of A. chinensis and exhibits pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic properties. However, the protective Effect of A. chinensis essential oil (AEO) against ALD and its potential molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated.Aim of the study : To investigate the Effect of AEO on ALD and elucidate its mechanisms of action and their relationship with oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid metabolism signaling pathways.Material and methods: The chemical composition of AEO was analyzed by GC-MS. Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, AEOL group (50 mg/kg), AEOH group (100 mg/kg), and silybin (50 mg/kg) group. Except for the control group, all groups were administered 56% ethanol via gavage for 42 days, and the treatment groups received the corresponding drugs. Subsequently, histopathological changes in the liver and other tissues were examined using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Oil Red O staining; changes in liver markers related to oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid metabolism, as well as protein expression, were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis.Results: AEO primarily consists of 47 compounds, including atractylodin (6.74%), hinesol (1.52%), and atractylone (1.05%). Pharmacological studies have shown that long-term excessive alcohol intake leads to destruction of rat hepatic lobules and accumulation of lipid droplets, as well as significant increases in liver index, ALT, AST, ROS, MDA, LPS, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, TC, and TG, and decreases in SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px; Nrf2, HO-1, p-AMPK, PPARα, and CPT-1 were downregulated, while TLR4, MyD88, p-NF-κB p65, SREBP-1c, ACC, and FAS were upregulated. AEO intervention reversed these parameters in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusion: AEO exerts a significant protective effect against ALD. This effect is achieved through the synergistic action of three signaling pathways: activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to alleviate oxidative stress, inhibition of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway to mitigate inflammatory responses, and regulation of the AMPK/SREBP-1c/ACC/FAS and PPARα/CPT-1 pathways to improve lipid metabolism disorders. This study provides a theoretical basis for AEO as a candidate drug for the prevention and treatment of ALD.

Medicinal plants of the genus Atractylodes, primarily including Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz., and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., are important traditional Chinese medicinal herbs that are widely recognized for their functions of “strengthening the spleen and drying dampness” and have traditionally been used to treat digestive and metabolic disorders. In recent years, with the increasing global burden of liver diseases, Atractylodes species have attracted growing attention for their potential pharmacological value in liver disease management due to their abundant bioactive compounds and diverse pharmacological activities. This review summarizes reported biological and hepatoprotective effects and proposed mechanisms of Atractylodes medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds in liver-related experimental models, including models relevant to MASLD, ALD, hepatic fibrosis, and HCC. Preclinical studies have reported changes in lipid metabolism, oxidative-stress-related markers, inflammatory responses, fibrotic indices, and tumor-cell phenotypes, accompanied by modulation of signaling pathways including AMPK/SIRT1, PPAR, Nrf2/HO-1, TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB, NLRP3, and TGF-β1/Smad. However, much of the mechanistic evidence is based on pathway-associated changes rather than direct compound–target validation, and clinical evidence remains limited. Overall, the available findings provide a preclinical pharmacological rationale for further investigation of Atractylodes-derived compounds in liver diseases, while their clinical efficacy and therapeutic roles remain to be established.