Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention in Ulcerative Colitis via NLRP3-Mediated Pyroptosis Pathway： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Ulcerative colitis （UC） mainly occurs in the colon and rectum， with complex pathological mechanism. The occurrence of ulcerative colitis is associated with the uncontrollable inflammatory response of the intestine. The Western medicine therapy of UC mainly uses glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants to reduce intestinal inflammation. While blocking the progress of UC to a certain extent， it causes severe adverse reactions. More and more studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has obvious advantages in the prevention and treatment of UC and can significantly reduce the recurrence of the disease. Pyroptosis， a novel form of cell death， can destroy cell structure， release intracellular pro-inflammatory substances， and mediate intestinal immune response in UC. TCM can promote pyroptosis （removing excess） or inhibit pyroptosis （replenishing deficiency）， which is consistent with the regulation of Yin and Yang. TCM plays a role in the treatment of UC mainly by inhibiting pyroptosis （replenishing deficiency） and reducing intestinal immune response. In recent years， a large number of studies have been carried out to decipher the mechanism of TCM in the treatment of UC via NOD-like receptor protein domain 3 （NLRP3）-mediated pyroptosis pathway. The results have demonstrated that NLRP3 pathway is the key target of TCM in the treatment of UC. However， a comprehensive summary remains to be carried out on the inhibition of NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis pathway by TCM in the treatment of UC. Therefore， we retrieved the articles in this field in recent years with the keywords "pyroptosis"， "NLRP3"， "ulcerative colitis"， and "Chinese medicine". The Chinese medicines regulating NLRP3 pathway mainly have the functions of clearing heat and drying dampness， harmonizing Qi and blood， moving Qi and dredging fu-organs， and invigorating spleen and removing dampness. The findings can help researchers to fully understand the mechanism of TCM in the treatment of UC via the NLRP3 pathway and provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of UC and further drug development.