ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effects of berberine and 6-shogaol on Notch signaling pathway in colonic epithelial cells of mice with ulcerative colitis. Methods: A total of 50 Kunming mice were randomly selected as normal group, and the remaining 40 mice were treated with po 2% DSS to induce ulcerative colitis. The rats were randomly divided into model group, berberine group, 6-shogaol group, and berberine + 6-shogaol group. The corresponding drugs were given by ig administration. Colon tissues were taken after 20 d of administration. The protein expression of Hes-1, Math-1, MUC2, and olfm4 in colon epithelium was detected by immunofluorescence method, and the gene and protein expression of Notch-1, Hes-1, Math-1 in colon epithelium were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Results: Compared with the model group, the protein and mRNA expression of Notch-1, Hes-1, and olfm4 in colon epithelium of mice in 6-shogaol group, berberine group, and berberine + 6-shogaol group were significantly decreased, while the expression of Math-1 and MUC2 were significantly increased. Among three groups, berberine + 6-shogaol group showed the best effect. Conclusion: Both 6-shogaol and berberine can effectively repair damaged colonic mucosa and treat ulcerative colitis. The combined use of berberine and 6-shogaol is more effective than the single application. Its mechanism is related to inhibiting the over-activation of Notch pathway and regulating the proliferation and differentiation of colonic epithelium.