TY - JOUR AB - Ding's herbal enema (DHEP) is a traditional Chinese medicinal therapy that has been used to treat ulcerative colitis (UC) in China. The present study determined the molecular mechanism of the effect of DHEP in UC treatment. C57BL/6J mice were treated with 3.5% (w/v) dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 7 days to establish an animal model of colitis. The mice were divided into five groups (n=5): Control, vehicle, DHEP, mesalazine and β‑sitosterol. After oral administration for 7 days, the body weight, disease activity index, histopathology and inflammatory factors were analyzed. The fractions of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and CD4+IL‑17A+ T helper (Th) cells were determined by flow cytometry. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed by next‑generation sequencing. The results revealed that DHEP and β‑sitosterol could significantly alleviate the symptoms of DSS‑induced UC. Furthermore, the levels of IL‑6, cyclooxygenase‑2, TNF‑α and p65 were reduced after administration of DHEP. Additionally, the data indicated that DHEP could increase the abundance of seven operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and decrease the abundance of 12 OTUs in the gut microbiota. The content of short‑chain fatty acids in the colon remodeled the balance of Treg/Th17 cells in DSS‑induced UC in mice. The present study preliminarily defined the mechanism of action of DHEP in UC that may be associated with the regulation of the gut microbiota composition, and maintenance of the balance between Treg and Th17 cells. Furthermore, β‑sitosterol exhibited the same effects with DHEP and it could be a possible substitute for DHEP in UC treatment. AD - Department of National Center of Colorectal Surgery, Jiangsu Integrate Colorectal Oncology Center, Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210001, P.R. China Department of First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China AU - Tan,Yan-Yan AU - Ding,Yang AU - Zheng,Xueping AU - Dai,Gong-Jian AU - Zhang,Su-Min AU - Yang,Xu AU - Xu,Da-Chao AU - Chen,Peng AU - Zhang,Jia-Ming AU - Ma,Jia-Ze AU - Li,Meng AU - Huang,Shi-Cai AU - Liu,Yan AU - Zhang,Yu-Ting AU - Xing,Han AU - Ding,Kang AU - Ding,Yi-Jiang DA - 2021/12/01 DO - 10.3892/etm.2021.10802 IS - 6 JO - Exp Ther Med KW - Ding's herbal enema β‑sitosterol ulcerative colitis short‑chain fatty acids T cell differentiation gut microbiota PY - 2021 SN - 1792-0981 1792-1015 SP - 1368 ST - Ding's herbal enema treats dextran sulfate sodium‑induced colitis in mice by regulating the gut microbiota and maintaining the Treg/Th17 cell balance T2 - Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine TI - Ding's herbal enema treats dextran sulfate sodium‑induced colitis in mice by regulating the gut microbiota and maintaining the Treg/Th17 cell balance UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10802 VL - 22 ER -