Regulation of moxibustion on the expression of NF-κBp65 and PPARγ mRNA in colon of rats with ulcerative colitis

Synergistic Effect of Diacylglycerol and Vitamin D in Ameliorating Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Rats

Vitamin D (VD) has the function of antibacteria and protect intestinal mucosa. Diacylglycerol has the property of dissolving VD, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant effects. The purpose of this study was to explore the potentially synergistic effects of diacylglycerol and VD in ameliorating dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in rats. A 2 × 3 factorial design was used in this experiment, consisting of two levels of VD (2.5 and 5 μg/day) crossed with three levels of duck oil diacylglycerol (0.5, 1, and 2 mL/day). The experiment lasted for 2 weeks. Compared with the colitis group, the physiological indexes were altered in colitis rats treated with diacylglycerol and VD, the concentrations of the pro-inflammatory indices were significantly reduced, the antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly increased, the diversity of caecal microflora was significantly increased. Besides, the expression of PPARγ was up-regulated while the expression of NF-κBp65 was downregulated. The changes of all those measures were toward those in the Healthy Control, and the mostly appropriate combination was 1 mL/day of diacylglycerol plus 2.5 μg/day VD.

Effects of Herb-Partitioned Moxibustion on the miRNA Expression Profiles in Colon from Rats with DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis

Objective. This study explored the mechanism of herb-partitioned moxibustion (HM) on dextran sulfate sodium- (DSS-) induced ulcerative colitis (UC) from the miRNA perspective. Methods. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups [normal control (NC) group, UC model (UC) group, and herb-partitioned moxibustion (UCHM) group]. The UC and UCHM groups were administered 4% DSS for 7 days. The UCHM group received HM at the Tianshu (bilateral, ST25). The effect of HM on UC was observed and the miRNA expression profile in the colon tissues was analyzed. Results. Compared with the UC group, the body weights were significantly higher in the UCHM group on day 14 (P < 0.001); the macroscopic colon injury scores and microscopic histopathology scores in the UCHM group decreased (P < 0.05); and there were 15 differentially expressed miRNAs in the UCHM group. The changes in miR-184 and miR-490-5p expression levels on the UC were reversed by HM intervention. Validation using qRT-PCR showed that two miRNAs expression trend was consistent with the sequencing results. Conclusion. HM at ST25 might regulate miR-184 and miR-490-5p expression, act on the transcription of their target genes to regulate inflammatory signaling pathways, and attenuate inflammation and tissue injury in the colons of rats with DSS-induced UC.