Research progress on Chinese materia medica intervening intestinal flora to improve intestinal mucosal barrier function / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Intestinal mucosal barrier can prevent harmful substances in the intestinal cavity, such as pathogenic microorganisms, biological macromolecules, and antigens into the blood circulation to maintain human health. The adhesion, colonization, and reproduction of normal microbiota in a particular part of the human body can form a layer of “membrane barrier” which is an important defense against the colonization of foreign microorganisms and plays an important role in protecting the body tissue from the invasion of foreign pathogens. Under certain circumstances, such as shock, ischemia, and pancreatitis, the increase in the permeability of intestinal mucosa further leads to intestinal bacterial and endotoxin translocation and release of a large number of proinflammatory cytokines. Therefore, aggravating the primary disease can trigger systemic inflammatory response, insulin resistance, central nervous system damage, and even induce multiple organ failure. Chinese materia medica (CMM) has a clear advantage in the treatment of disorders of intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction, but most of its effective composition have low bioavailability. After oral administration, CMM can contact with intestinal flora and interact with each other to regulate body-related functions. This article summarizes the effect of CMM on intestinal mucosal barrier through regulating intestinal flora from four aspects which are mechanical barrier, immune barrier, microbial barrier, and chemical barrier of intestinal mucosa, in order to provide references for the research on the regulation of gut microbiota by CMM in the treatment of intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction-related diseases.