Identification of Chemical Compounds from Artemisia gmelinii using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and their Regulatory Effects on Immune Responses in DSS-Induced Colitis Mice

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Artemisia argyi H. Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum in the LPS-Induced RAW 264.7 Cells and DSS-Induced Colitis Model

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by abnormal immune responses in the intestinal mucosa and gut microorganisms. Unlike other mugworts, Artemisia argyi H. (A. argyi H.) enhances antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects, but the improvement effects against gut inflammation have not yet been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to confirm the alleviation of the inflammatory state in the gut by A. argyi H. fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum (FAA), using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis models. In vitro, FAA (10, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL) was pretreated into RAW 264.7 cells, followed with LPS (100 ng/mL), which induced the cell damage. Meanwhile, in vivo, FAA (100, 200 mg/kg/day) was orally administered into 6-week-old C57BL/6N mice for 3 weeks. During the last week of FAA administration, 2.5% DSS was used to induce colitis. The results showed that FAA reduced the production of nitric oxide (p < 0.0001), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 (p < 0.0001), and IL-1β (p < 0.0001) in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, in the DSS-induced colitis model, FAA alleviated clinical symptoms (p < 0.001), inhibited the inflammatory state by reducing the production of TNF-α (p < 0.0001) and interferon-γ in intestinal immune cells (p < 0.0001), and strengthened the intestinal barrier by increasing the number of goblet cells (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory effects were confirmed by the alleviation of histological damage (p < 0.001) and down-regulation of the expression of inflammatory proteins (TLR4, p < 0.0001; MyD88, p < 0.0001; Cox-2, p < 0.0001). These results suggest the potential of FAA as a dietary ingredient for preventing inflammation in the gut.

Atractylodes lancea Rhizoma Attenuates DSS-Induced Colitis by Regulating Intestinal Flora and Metabolites

Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. is a herb widely used traditionally for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as gastric ulcer, spleen deficiency, and diarrhea. In China, people fry raw A. lancea (SCZ) together with wheat bran to make bran-fried A. lancea (FCZ). Ancient Chinese texts have documented that FCZ can enhance the function of regulating the intestines and stomach. Nevertheless, the effect and mechanism of SCZ and FCZ on ulcerative colitis (UC) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effects of SCZ and FCZ and their mechanisms on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. The chemical constituents of SCZ and FCZ were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) with six reference compounds. The effects of SCZ and FCZ were investigated based on their effects on weight loss, disease activity index (DAI) score, colon length shortening, goblet cell loss, and pathological changes using the colons from a mouse model of DSS-induced UC. The effects of SCZ and FCZ on levels of the inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text], interleukin-6, interleukin-1[Formula: see text], mucoprotein (MUC2), tight protein (ZO-1, occludin), and the activation of macrophages were determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF). 16s RNA sequencing technology was used to detect the composition of the intestinal flora in each group. Nontargeted metabonomics was used to detect the serum metabolite levels of mice in each group. Pearson analysis was used to determine the correlation between the intestinal flora, metabolites, and pathological indices. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the genes of different metabolite-related enzymes. A pseudogerm free (PGF) mouse model was used to verify whether the effect of SCZ and FCZ in UC depends on the regulation of intestinal flora. SCZ and FCZ could inhibit weight loss and decrease the DAI score, colon length shortening, goblet cell loss, and the extent of pathological changes in the colons of mice with DSS-induced colitis. Moreover, SCZ and FCZ inhibited the decrease in MUC2, ZO-1, occludin, production of pro-inflammatory factors, and activation of pro-inflammatory macrophages in colonic tissue. The effect of FCZ was better than that of SCZ. SCZ and FCZ not only inhibited the abundance of harmful bacteria and increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria, but also regulated the metabolism of disease-related metabolites such as amino acid and cholesterol metabolism. Both preparations inhibited the gene expression (Slc6A7, PRODH, Sdsl, HMGCR, SREBP-2) of different metabolite-related enzymes. In the PGF mouse model, the above effects were not observed. Rhizoma Atractylodes was effective in alleviating DSS-induced UC in mice, and FCZ was found to be superior to SCZ. The mechanism of action of FCZ and SCZ is mainly related to the regulation of intestinal flora and their associated metabolites.