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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1534772
This article is part of the Research Topic Restoring Barrier Function and Immunity: What Roles Can Traditional Medicines Play? View all 13 articles

Periplanta americana extract regulates the Th17/Treg cell balance via Notch1 in ulcerative colitis

Provisionally accepted
Yanqiu Zheng Yanqiu Zheng 1,2Huibiao Li Huibiao Li 1Shiyu Qi Shiyu Qi 1Fan Xiao Fan Xiao 2Jinbin Song Jinbin Song 2Shiying Liu Shiying Liu 2Xin-Lin Chen Xin-Lin Chen 3Yanwu Li Yanwu Li 2Muyuan Chen Muyuan Chen 1*
  • 1 The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3 School of Basic Medical Sciences， Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Periplanta americana extract (PAE), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) from Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, has been used to treat ulcerative colitis (UC), various types of wounds and ulcers, infantile malnutrition, palpitation, asthma, and so on. However, the exact mechanisms of PAE in UC are still not fully revealed. The study aims to explore the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of PAE in UC.The efficacy of PAE was evaluated using a DSS-induced UC mice model and the colon inflammation and mucosal barrier were comprehensively assessed. Furthermore, Network pharmacological analysis was utilized to identify potential targets and signaling pathways of PAE in the UC treatment. The proportion and the markers of Th17 and Treg cells in the spleen and colon were examined. The signal transduction was detected in vivo. In vitro, an activated Notch1-mediated Th17/Treg was modeled, and the effect of PAE on the epithelial cell barrier was examined.Results: PAE mitigated colon inflammation and intestinal barrier damage in UC mice.Network pharmacological analysis showed that the targets of UC intervention by PAE may be closely related to Th17 cell differentiation, the IL-17 signaling pathway, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Mechanistically, PAE regulated the balance of Th17/Treg and inhibited the Notch1/Math1 pathway in the colon of UC mice. In vitro, PAE intervention alleviated the activated Notch1-mediated Th17/Treg imbalance in Jurkat T cells. After notch1-activated Jurkat T cells were co-cultured with HCoEpic cells, the expressions of Occludin, ZO1 were higher in the HCoEpic cells.Conclusions: PAE could alleviate colon inflammation and mucosal barrier damage in UC, which are related to the inhibition of Notch1 and the regulation of the Th17/Treg balance. PAE might be a potential candidate agent for UC treatment.

    Keywords: ulcerative colitis, Periplaneta Americana extract, Th17/Treg, NOTCH1, Colonic mucosa

    Received: 26 Nov 2024; Accepted: 31 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zheng, Li, Qi, Xiao, Song, Liu, Chen, Li and Chen. 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: Muyuan Chen, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China

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