Immunopharmacological Mechanisms of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) imposes significant morbidity and healthcare burden globally. Pharmacological therapies typically include 5-aminosalicylic acid, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and other biological agents and cytokine antibodies, but variable treatment efficacy and adverse drug effects remain major problems. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapies for IBD have shown good clinical efficacy, low side effects and cost effectiveness. This study aimed to review the immunopharmacological mechanisms of TCM formulae and pure component compounds in the treatment of IBD. Summary: Evidence for immunological mechanisms involved in mediating the IBD-related clinical effects of Shen Ling Bai Zhu San (SLBZS) and its components Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (‘Baizhu’), Ginseng (‘Renshen’), Poria cocos (‘Fuling’); Yu Ping Feng San (YPFS) and its component Radix Astragalus (‘Huangqi’), Si Shen Wan (SSW) and its component Psoralea corylifolia L (‘Buguzhi’), Andrographis paniculata (‘Chuanxinlian’), Evodiae fructus (‘Wuzhuyu’), and Salvia miltiorrhiza radix (‘Danshen’) was summarized. These included the modulation of T cell mediated immunological processes, pro and anti-inflammatory cytokine profiles, IFN-γ, and ERK1/2, p38 MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways, among others. Key messages: Available experimental evidence demonstrates several immunological mechanisms of TCM preparations applied in IBD. The regulatory actions of multiple TCM preparations and their components on cytokine production, NF-κB, MAPKs and related signaling pathways in IBD are implicated in mediating their clinical efficacy in IBD. Future research is needed to understand the detailed and comprehensive immunopharmacological mechanisms involved active molecules, and their molecular effects to develop novel TCM-based therapeutic regimes for IBD.

Author(s): Hui Liu

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