Effects of the N-Butanol Extract of Pulsatilla Decoction on Neutrophils in a Mouse Model of Ulcerative Colitis

作者：Yadong Wang, Hui Wu, Juan Sun, Can Li, Ying Fang, Gaoxiang Shi, Kelong Ma, Daqiang Wu, Jing Shao, Hang Song, Tianming Wang, Changzhong Wang · 发表于：Pharmaceuticals · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3390/ph17081077 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Neutrophil, Myeloperoxidase and Oxidative Mechanisms、Inflammatory Bowel Disease、Immune cells in cancer

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease, the incidence of which is increasing worldwide. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of UC remains unclear. The n-butanol extract of Pulsatilla decoction (BEPD), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to be effective in treating UC. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism underlying the effects of BEPD on UC, in particular its effects on neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation by neutrophils. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the principal compounds of BEPD. UC was induced in mice using dextran sodium sulfate, and mice were treated with 20, 40, or 80 mg/kg BEPD daily for seven days. Colonic inflammation was determined by assessing the disease activity index, histopathology, colonic mucosal damage index, colonic mucosal permeability, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels. The infiltration and activation status of neutrophils in the colon were determined by analyzing the levels of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL) 1 and CXCL2, reactive oxygen species, Ly6G, and numerous NET proteins. The findings suggest that BEPD improved the disease activity index, histopathology, and colonic mucosal damage index scores of mice with UC, and restored colonic mucosal permeability compared with untreated mice. The expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in colon tissues were significantly decreased, w...