Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease that can affect all segments of the colon, generally starting with inflammation of the rectal mucosa and extending continuously proximally. Bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, fecal urgency, and tenesmus are the typical symptoms of UC. The Incidence and prevalence are on a sharp upward trend worldwide. Immunomodulators and biologics have good therapeutic effects, but long-term use can cause serious side effects. Therefore, complementary and alternative medicines, especially herbal medicines, are gaining popularity in the treatment of IBD patients. Many natural compounds have been tested, some of which have been shown to have advantages in the treatment of UC. Different herbs or derivatives, such as curcumin, indigo, andrographis, etc., have all shown certain efficacy in clinical trials.
The etiology of UC has been intensively studied over the past few decades. Scientific researchers have demonstrated that the pathogenesis of UC is complex, involving both genetic and environmental factors. These factors induce impaired barrier function in the intestinal epithelium. UC is considered a consequence of impaired aberrant immune response, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and epithelial barrier function. The epithelial barrier is the first-line defense of the mucosal immune system, which is covered by a mucinous layer, because it provides physical separation between a host of immune cells, and luminal microbes, and synthesizes antimicrobial peptides. Previous studies have found that herbal medicine can improve epithelial proliferation and barrier integrity, inhibit hyperimmune responses, and restore microbiota homeostasis, but the mechanism is not fully clear. The purpose of this research is to explore the potential mechanism of TCM on the intestinal mucosal barrier in ulcerative colitis.
Therefore, this research topic focuses on the following questions/themes:
• How can the intestinal barrier function be improved using herbal medicines and isolated metabolites?
• How can such herbal medicines improve intestinal barrier function? Which pathway or which component of the intestinal barrier plays the key role? Manuscripts using cell or animal experiments, clinical trials, or reviews will be considered as well as review articles on ethnopharmacological aspects of this topic
• Pharmacological studies related to the discovery of new pharmacological targets of such medicines are also of interest
Note: Purely in silico studies like network analyses or docking studies will not be considered and are rejected without peer review.
All manuscripts submitted to the collection will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here). In all studies, the composition of the material investigated must be described in detail. For details see the ConPhyMP statement: Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.953205
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease that can affect all segments of the colon, generally starting with inflammation of the rectal mucosa and extending continuously proximally. Bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, fecal urgency, and tenesmus are the typical symptoms of UC. The Incidence and prevalence are on a sharp upward trend worldwide. Immunomodulators and biologics have good therapeutic effects, but long-term use can cause serious side effects. Therefore, complementary and alternative medicines, especially herbal medicines, are gaining popularity in the treatment of IBD patients. Many natural compounds have been tested, some of which have been shown to have advantages in the treatment of UC. Different herbs or derivatives, such as curcumin, indigo, andrographis, etc., have all shown certain efficacy in clinical trials.
The etiology of UC has been intensively studied over the past few decades. Scientific researchers have demonstrated that the pathogenesis of UC is complex, involving both genetic and environmental factors. These factors induce impaired barrier function in the intestinal epithelium. UC is considered a consequence of impaired aberrant immune response, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and epithelial barrier function. The epithelial barrier is the first-line defense of the mucosal immune system, which is covered by a mucinous layer, because it provides physical separation between a host of immune cells, and luminal microbes, and synthesizes antimicrobial peptides. Previous studies have found that herbal medicine can improve epithelial proliferation and barrier integrity, inhibit hyperimmune responses, and restore microbiota homeostasis, but the mechanism is not fully clear. The purpose of this research is to explore the potential mechanism of TCM on the intestinal mucosal barrier in ulcerative colitis.
Therefore, this research topic focuses on the following questions/themes:
• How can the intestinal barrier function be improved using herbal medicines and isolated metabolites?
• How can such herbal medicines improve intestinal barrier function? Which pathway or which component of the intestinal barrier plays the key role? Manuscripts using cell or animal experiments, clinical trials, or reviews will be considered as well as review articles on ethnopharmacological aspects of this topic
• Pharmacological studies related to the discovery of new pharmacological targets of such medicines are also of interest
Note: Purely in silico studies like network analyses or docking studies will not be considered and are rejected without peer review.
All manuscripts submitted to the collection will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here). In all studies, the composition of the material investigated must be described in detail. For details see the ConPhyMP statement: Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.953205
