Gegen Qinlian decoction ameliorates experimental colitis in miceferroptosis pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether Gegen Qinlian decoction (, GQD) targets ferroptosis pathway to ameliorate experimental colitis in mice. METHODS: A mice model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced colitis was established and therapeutic effects of GQD were determined by detecting body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length and histopathological changes. Then, the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the expression levels of tight junction proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry and the expression levels of ferroptosis-associated proteins were detected by western blotting. RESULTS: GQD treatment attenuated weight loss and DAI score, increased colon length, ameliorated intestinal histopathological damage, inhibited colonic inflammatory cytokine release and enhanced epithelial barrier function in mice with ulcerative colitis (UC). Furthermore, GQD administration obviously improved the expression of ferroptosis-associated proteins (solute carrier family 7 member 11 and acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4). CONCLUSION: GQD could exert a therapeutic effect on colitis by alleviating colon damage and promoting intestinal mucosal barrier repair in DSS-induced colitis mice through the inhibition of ferroptosis, which may provide an effective natural therapy for the treatment of UC.