Chinese Medicine Intervention in Ulcerative Colitis Based on Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Ulcerative colitis （UC） is a common chronic digestive system disease in clinic. The disease is repeated and difficult to treat， and the pathogenesis is complex， which is related to oxidative stress response. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 （Nrf2） is an important factor in antioxidant reaction， which regulates the expression of downstream heme oxygen-1 （HO-1）， and plays a role in maintaining redox homeostasis. In the course of UC， the biological activity and content of Nrf2 and HO-1 are decreased， the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities of tissues are weakened， the intestinal epithelial cells are damaged， and the intestinal mucosal barrier is destroyed. At present， western medicine mainly focuses on controlling inflammation and alleviating symptoms in clinical treatment. Although it has a certain effect， there are many problems such as easy recurrence after drug withdrawal and long-term side effects. Studies have shown that Chinese medicine has rich and flexible therapeutic methods and has broad application prospects in the prevention and treatment of UC. In recent years， with Nrf2/HO-1 pathway as the entry point， a large number of basic and clinical experiments on this signal in UC have been carried out in the field of Chinese medicine， and the results show that the intervention of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway is an important potential target for the treatment of UC by Chinese medicines. Based on the etiology and pathogenesis of deficiency-excess in complexity， Chinese medicine regulates Nrf2/HO-1 pathway by clearing heat and detoxifying dampness， activating blood circulation to remove stasis and relieve pain， invigorating Qi， tonifying middle， and warming interior， and treating both symptoms and root causes， to improve the tissue's ability to resist oxidative stress， maintain the balance between pro-inflammatory factors and anti-inflammatory factors， relieve inflammatory response， and play a therapeutic role in UC. This paper summarized and analyzed the effect of Chinese medicine targeting the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway on interfering with UC and its mechanism. The purpose of this study is to provide references for researchers to have a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of Chinese medicines in the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in UC and promote the rational application of Chinese medicines in the prevention and treatment of UC in the future.