ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Shaoyaotang （SYT） in the treatment of ulcerative colitis （UC） based on network pharmacology and experimental verification. MethodThe core components， target genes， and main pathways of SYT were predicted based on network pharmacology， and UC-related components， target genes， and pathways were screened. Dextran sodium sulfate （DSS） was used to induce the UC model in mice， and the effect of SYT on UC mice was observed， followed by mechanism verification. ResultNetwork pharmacology indicated that 174 active components and corresponding 159 target genes of SYT were screened， and the related pathways were those mediated by 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） degredation and 5-HT receptor 3. The results of animal experiments showed that compared with the model group， the SYT group showed increased body weight and colon length（P<0.01）， reduced disease activity index （DAI） score （P<0.01）， improved histopathological manifestations， reduced concentrations of 5-HT in the colonic tissues and serum （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and increased mRNA expression of monoamine oxidase A （MAOA）， monoamine oxidase B （MAOB）， sodium-dependent serotonin transporter （SLC6A4）， and 5-HT receptor 3A （5-HTR3A） related to 5-HT metabolism in the colon （P<0.01）. ConclusionSYT can alleviate the local inflammatory response of the intestinal tract in UC by regulating 5-HT degredation pathways.