Effect of Glycyrrhiza uralensis against ulcerative colitis through regulating the signaling pathway of FXR/P-gp

Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease, with a characteristic inflammatory response. Chinese herbal medicine can play a role in UC treatment. Herein, we aimed to investigate the function of Glycyrrhiza uralensis in UC treatment and the underlying mechanism.

Methods: After establishing an animal model of UC, different agents of kuijieguanchang prescription, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, mesalazine, and GW4064 were administrated to mice. The Apoptosis rate was measured by TUNEL assay, and the expression of different biomarkers was tested by western blot and qPCR.

Results: Glycyrrhiza uralensis could regulate Apoptosis of intestinal mucosal cells, through regulating the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and protective proteins of intestinal mucosa. The administration of Glycyrrhiza uralensis could greatly enhance the expression of muc1, muc3, and the pro-apoptotic protein, Bax. The proteins involved in malignancy from UC, such as Bcl-2 and FGF-15, were dramatically downregulated after using the Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Moreover, it was illustrated that Glycyrrhiza uralensis acted against UC by activating the signaling of P-gp through upregualting its expression. The upregulation of FGFR4, SHP, and P-gp in liver conferred protective function in UC.

Conclusion: Glycyrrhiza uralensis could regulate Apoptosis of intestinal mucosal cells, through regulating the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and protective proteins of intestinal mucosa. The results provide novel options for UC treatment, as well as a rationale for pharmacology of Chinese traditional medicine, that is favorable for use of herbal medicine.