ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.

Sec. Ethnopharmacology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1550458

Naringenin attenuates slow-transit constipation by regulating the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signalling pathway: In vivo and in vitro studies

Provisionally accepted
Yahui  WangYahui Wang1Xiaopeng  WangXiaopeng Wang1Yifei  QianYifei Qian2Mingming  SunMingming Sun1Huiju  YangHuiju Yang3Lianlin  SuLianlin Su4Shuai  YanShuai Yan1*
  • 1Suzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, China
  • 2University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
  • 3The Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
  • 4Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Slow-transit constipation (STC) is a widespread functional gastrointestinal condition distinguished by decreased colonic motility as an essential clinical characteristic. The excessive autophagy of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) causes phenotypic changes and functional abnormalities, which are important in colonic dysmotility. Naringenin (NAR) has been shown to regulate gastrointestinal motility disorders. The present study aimed to elucidate the regulatory role of naringenin in autophagy in STC and its underlying mechanism.Conclusions: NAR attenuates the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 pathway in ICCs, thereby improving STC colonic dysmotility and underscoring its promise as a therapeutic option for STC.

Keywords: Naringenin, Autophagy, AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signalling pathway, Interstitial Cells of Cajal, slow transit constipation

Received: 17 Jan 2025; Accepted: 03 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Wang, Qian, Sun, Yang, Su and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Shuai Yan, Suzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, China

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