Table_1_Pulsatilla chinensis Saponins Ameliorate Inflammation and DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Rats by Regulating the Composition and Diversity of Intestinal Flora.xlsx

Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel is a commonly used Chinese medicine for clearing away heat and detoxification, cooling blood, stopping dysentery, and anti-inflammatory effects. Pulsatilla chinensis saponins (PRS) have been identified to be responsible for producing these pharmacological activities. Studies have shown that Pulsatilla decoction has a good therapeutic effect on ulcerative colitis (UC), however, the therapeutic effect of PRS on UC has not been reported. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible anti-UC activity of PRS using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced rat model, and further study the mechanism of PRS in the treatment of UC. The fecal and colon samples were collected from rats to monitor the changes in the composition and diversity of the intestinal flora, and pathological colon sections were also made to examine the mesenteric hemorheological characteristics. The results showed that PRS significantly reduced the mesenteric blood flow in UC rats and significantly alleviated the inflammatory response, which indicates that saponins are involved in the anti-UC effects of PRS. At the same time, it is also suggested that the regulation of intestinal flora by Pulsatilla chinensis saponins is an important pathway for its anti-UC activity, which may be ascribed to the increase in beneficial bacteria like norank_F_Muribaculaceae and norank_F_norank_O_Clostridia_UCG-014, and decrease in the harmful Bacteroides.

白头翁（Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel）是一味常用的清热解毒、凉血止痢、抗炎中药。研究表明，其药理活性的物质基础为白头翁皂苷（Pulsatilla chinensis saponins, PRS）。已有研究证实，白头翁汤对溃疡性结肠炎（Ulcerative Colitis, UC）具有良好的治疗效果，但目前尚未见PRS针对UC的治疗作用的相关报道。因此，本研究旨在通过葡聚糖硫酸钠（Dextran Sulfate Sodium, DSS）诱导的大鼠结肠炎模型，探究PRS抗UC的潜在活性，并进一步阐明其治疗UC的作用机制。本研究收集大鼠粪便与结肠样本，以监测肠道菌群的组成与多样性变化；同时制备结肠病理切片，检测肠系膜血液流变学特征。结果显示，PRS可显著降低UC模型大鼠的肠系膜血流量，并有效缓解炎症反应，表明皂苷类成分是PRS发挥抗UC作用的关键物质基础。此外，本研究还提示，白头翁皂苷对肠道菌群的调控是其抗UC活性的重要途径，该作用可能与上调norank_F_Muribaculaceae、norank_F_norank_O_Clostridia_UCG-014等有益菌的丰度，下调有害菌拟杆菌属（Bacteroides）的丰度密切相关。