title: Anti-inflammatory effects of Huangqin tang extract in mice on ulcerative colitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HuangqinTang (HQT) is a traditional Chinese formula which is composed of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, Paeonia lactiflora Pall, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, and Ziziphus jujube Mill. HQT has been used in China for a wide range of disorders, especially in gastrointestinal inflammation with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and so on.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the protective effects of HQT extract on 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) induced colitis in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Different doses of HQT extract (1, 2 and 4 g/kg/day) and salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP, 500 mg/kg/day) were administered by gavage for 7 days after the induction of colitis with TNBS. The effects were studied by macroscopic score, histological analysis, immunohistochemical study of Cyclo-oxygenase-2 protein expression, as well as by determination of inflammation markers such as myeloperoxidase (MPO) and mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In TNBS induced group, mice body weight decreased gradually and did not recover at the end of the experiment, as compared with that of control group (p<0.01). Edema and redness were also discovered in the colons profoundly and scores representing inflammation were all high in this group (p<0.01). The level of colonic MPO activity and the tissue levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were markedly increased (p<0.01). The mice treated with HQT extract and SASP recovered significantly compared with the TNBS group (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggested that the efficacy of HQT extract, especially at the higher dose, was analogous to that of SASP, which implicated its potential application as a natural alternative medicine in colitis treatment.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China. Electronic address: chenpeidong1970@163.com.
authors.forename: Peidong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Mingqiu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Beihua
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Yudan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Xianlin Road 138♯, Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Anwei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C439205:Huangqin-Tang; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid
keywords: Cyclo-oxygenase-2; Huangqin Tang extract; Interleukin-1β; Myeloperoxidase; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Ulcerative colitis