The immune-regulating effect of Xiao’er Qixingcha in constipated mice induced by high-heat and high-protein diet

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Research Article

Jian-Hui Xie¹  Shao-Zhong Peng²  Rong-Bo Zheng²  Chang Qu³  Zi-Ren Su³  Xiao-Jun Zhang³  Xiu-Fen Wang³  Guang-Hua Yang³  Jian-Nan Chen⁴  Xiu-Ting Yu⁵ 

[1] Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 510120, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;Guangzhou Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical Company Limited, 510005, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 510006, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Chinese Medicinal Development and Research, 510006, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 510006, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Chinese Medicinal Development and Research, 510006, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;Dongguan Mathematical Engineering Academy of Chinese Medicine, 523000, Dongguan, People’s Republic of China;The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 510450, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Chinese Medicinal Development and Research, 510006, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China;

关键词: Xiao’er Qixingcha;    Constipation;    High-heat and high-protein diet;    Laxative;    Mucosal barrier;    Immunity function;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12906-017-1700-9

 received in 2016-06-17, accepted in 2017-03-22,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundXiao’er Qixingcha (EXQ) has been extensively applied to relieve dyspepsia and constipation in children for hundreds of years in China. However, the therapeutic mechanism underlying its efficacy remained to be defined. The present study aimed to clarify the possible laxative and immune-regulating effects of EXQ on two models of experimental constipation in mice, which mimicked the pediatric constipation caused by high-heat and high-protein diet (HHPD).MethodsThe two models of constipated mice were induced by HHPD or HHPD + atropine respectively. To investigate the laxative and immune-regulating activities of EXQ, animals were treated with three doses of EXQ (0.75, 1.5 and 3 g/kg) for 7 consecutive days. The fecal output parameters (number and weight), weight of intestinal content and, the thymus and spleen indexes were measured. The levels of sIgA, IL-10, TNF-α and LPS in colon and serum were determined by ELISA. Furthermore, the pathological changes of colon tissue were examined after routine H&E staining.ResultsBoth HHPD and HHPD + atropine treatments obviously inhibited the fecal output and reduced the colonic sIgA, prominently increased the levels of IL-10 and TNF-α in colonic tissue and elevated the contents of LPS in serum and colonic tissues. In contrast, oral administration of EXQ significantly improved the feces characters and dose-dependently decreased the intestinal changes in both models. In HHPD model test, EXQ efficaciously boosted the sIgA level in a dose-dependent manner, significantly elicited decreases in TNF-α and IL-10 levels, and evidently decreased the spleen and thymus indexes. In HHPD + atropine model test, EXQ treatment reversed the pathological changes by not only dramatically decreasing the spleen index and the levels of LPS and IL-10, but also markedly elevating the thymus index. Furthermore, microscopic observation revealed that EXQ treatment maintained the integrity of colonic mucosa, and protected the colonic tissues from inflammation in the both models.ConclusionsEXQ exhibited prominent laxative activity and effectively protected the colonic mucosal barrier in two models of constipated mice, of which the mechanism might be closely associated with its propulsive and immune-regulating properties. The current results not only validated the rationale for the clinical application of EXQ in pediatric constipation related symptoms, but also threw new light on the immune-inflammatory responses accompanied with chronic constipation pathology.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017