Potential activity of Traditional Chinese Medicine against Ulcerative colitis: A review.

Plant materials are used as complementary and alternative therapies all over the world for the treatment of various diseases. Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease listed as one of the modern refractory diseases by the World Health Organization, has a long course, is challenging to cure, and is prone to cause cancer. Recent years have witnessed a growing trend of applying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to UC. This review presents an overview of the pathogenesis of UC and reports the therapeutic effect of TCM on UC (including TCM prescriptions, single TCM, and treatments using TCM ingredients) to provide a theoretical basis for the use of TCM in treating UC. We performed a collection and collation of relevant scientific articles from different scientific databases regarding TCM and its usefulness in treating UC. In this paper, the therapeutic effect of TCM is summarized and analyzed according to the existing experimental and clinical research. There are positive signs that TCM primarily regulates inflammatory cytokines, intestinal flora, and the immune system, and also protects the intestinal mucosa. Hence, it can play a role in treating UC. TCM has a definite curative effect in the treatment of UC. It can alleviate and treat UC in a variety of ways. We should take syndrome differentiation and treatment differentiation as the basis. With the help of modern medicine, TCM's clinical curative effects can be enhanced for the treatment of UC.

Liu Y ，Li BG ，Su YH ，Zhao RX ，Song P ，Li H ，Cui XH ，Gao HM ，Zhai RX ，Fu XJ ，Ren X ... -  《-》

Traditional Chinese Medicine: A promising strategy to regulate the imbalance of bacterial flora, impaired intestinal barrier and immune function attributed to ulcerative colitis through intestinal microecology.

Globally, plant materials are widely used as an additional and alternative therapy for the treating of diverse diseases. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, recurrent and nonspecific inflammation of the bowel, referred to as "modern intractable disease" according to the World Health Organization. With the continuous development of theoretical research in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the advantages of TCM in terms of low side effects, TCM has shown great progress in the research of treating UC. This review aimed to explore the correlation between intestinal microbiota and UC, summarize research advances in TCM for treating UC, and discuss the mechanism of action of TCM remedies in regulating intestinal microbiota and repairing damaged intestinal barrier, which will provide a theoretical basis for future studies to elucidate the mechanism of TCM remedies based on gut microbiota and provide novel ideas for the clinical treatment of UC. We have collected and collated relevant articles from different scientific databases in recent years on the use of TCM in treating UC in relation to intestinal microecology. Based on the available studies, the therapeutic effects of TCM are analysed and the correlation between the pathogenesis of UC and intestinal microecology is explored. TCM is used to further protect the intestinal epithelium and tight junctions, regulate immunity and intestinal flora by regulating intestinal microecology, thereby achieving the effect of treating UC. Additionally, TCM remedies can effectively increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids, decrease the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, restore the balance of intestinal microbiota, and indirectly alleviate intestinal mucosal immune barrier dysfunction and promote the repair of damaged colorectal mucosa. Intestinal microbiota is closely related to UC pathogenesis. The alleviation of intestinal dysbiosis can be a potential novel therapeutic strategy for UC. TCM remedies can exert protective and therapeutic effects on UC through various mechanisms. Although intestinal microbiota can aid in the identification of different TCM syndromes types, further studies are needed using modern medical technology. This will improve the clinical therapeutic efficacy of TCM remedies in UC and promote the application of precision medicine.

Wang M ，Fu R ，Xu D ，Chen Y ，Yue S ，Zhang S ，Tang Y ... -  《-》

Inhibition of ferroptosis: A new direction in the treatment of ulcerative colitis by traditional Chinese medicine.

Guo M ，Du X ，Wang X 《-》

International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for ulcerative colitis by Board of Specialty Committee of Digestive System Disease of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (2023).

Zhang S ，Zhao L ，Shen H ，Tang Z ，Qin D ，Li J ，Zhang B ，Yang G ，Chen M ，Wu K ，Liu Z ，Yang H ，Wang H ，Zong Y ，Chen Y ，Xiao S ，Cai Q ... -  《-》

Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Serum Cytokines for the Dampness-heat Syndrome of Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Xu Y ，Liu Y ，Lu J ，Wu J ... -  《-》