94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Chem.
Sec. Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fchem.2025.1551722
This article is part of the Research TopicInterdisciplinary Approaches for Uncovering the Anti-tumor Mechanisms of Chinese Drugs and Natural ProductsView all articles
Mechanism of Hedysari Radix Praeparata Cum Melle and Curcumae Rhizoma Herb Pair in Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer through the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway: An Investigation In Vivo and In Vitro
Provisionally accepted
Ting Liu
Zhuanhong ZhangFeiyun Gao
Yugui ZhangMaomao WangCui MaYanjun WangDingcai MaZhe WangXingke YanYuefeng Li*- Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Astragali Radix (AR) - Curcumae Rhizoma (vinegar processed, CR) herb pair was recorded in ‘YIXUE ZHONGZHONG CANXILU’ to treat colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). Hedysari Radix (HR) was categorized under the AR entry in ‘SHENNONG BENCAO JING.’ HR is still an alternative to AR paired with CR clinically in northwest China. Hedysari Radix Praeparata Cum Melle (HRPCM) is a product that HR fries with honey to enhance the therapeutic effect. However, the mechanism of HRPCM paired with CR (HRCR) in CAC needs to be further elucidated. Here, we prepared HRCR-MIAS by the reverse enterocyst method, detected the components in HRCR-MIAS, and, based on this, combined with network pharmacological analysis, predicted the mechanism of action of HRCR on CAC. Then, we investigated the pharmacodynamic effects of HRCR-MIAS on SW620 colon cancer cells in vitro and explored the efficacy of HRCR low, medium, and high dose groups (HRCR-L, 3.413 g/kg; HRCR-M, 6.825 g/kg; and HRCR-H, 13.650 g/kg) on CAC mice in vivo. In addition, we used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits to detect serum levels of inflammatory factors, such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α. Expression of intestinal permeability proteins, such as Claudin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1, was detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. Finally, the predicted signaling was verified by Western blotting (WB). In conclusion, we found that HRCR inhibited the colonic inflammatory process, improved intestinal permeability, and alleviated CAC by inhibiting the activated MAPK/NF-kB signaling cascade.
Keywords: Astragali Radix, HR, Hedysari Radix, HRPCM: Hedysari Radix Praeparata Cum Melle, VPCR, Curcumae Rhizoma (vinegar processed), HRCR: Hedysari Radix Praeparata Cum Melle and Curcumae Rhizoma (vinegar processed) herb pair, IBD, inflammatory bowel disease, CRC, colorectal cancer, CAC, colitis-associated colorectal cancer
Received: 26 Dec 2024; Accepted: 16 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Zhang, Gao, Zhang, Wang, Ma, Wang, Ma, Wang, Yan and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yuefeng Li, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.