Qinggan Yipi capsule ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in rats by down-regulating the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway and improving gut microbiota imbalance
机构:[1]Nanjing Univ Chinese Med, Suzhou Tradit Chinese Med Hosp, Key Lab Evaluat & Transformat Wu Men Med Sch Empir, Suzhou, Peoples R China[2]Hebei Univ, Dept Pharm, Affiliated Hosp, Baoding, Peoples R China医技药学部河北大学附属医院[3]Suzhou Fifth Peoples Hosp, Dept Pharm, Suzhou, Peoples R China
Background and objective Qinggan Yipi Capsule (QgYp) is a hospital preparation that has been used for many years in the treatment of chronic liver diseases. However, the mechanism of QgYp in ameliorating hepatic fibrosis (HF) remains unclear. This study aims to clarify the anti-liver fibrosis effect of QgYp and its mechanism of action.Methods This study uses a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced HF rat model and TGF-beta 1 stimulated HSC-T6 cell line (rat HSCs) as experimental models. The therapeutic effects were evaluated through pathology, biochemical tests, and ELISA. The therapeutic mechanism of QgYp for HF was predicted through network pharmacology. The expression of TGF-beta 1/Smad2/3 related proteins was detected by qPCR analysis and Western blot analysis. The composition of the gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.Results Histopathological analysis, serum biochemical tests, and ELISA measurements showed that QgYp effectively decreased the levels of ALT, AST, HA, LN, PCIII, and IV-C while improving collagen deposition and hepatocyte necrosis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis screened HF-related genes, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and TGF-beta 1. GO and KEGG analyses indicated that QgYp significantly affects TGF-beta signaling pathway. In addition, the results of qPCR and Western blot analysis from both in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that QgYp significantly downregulated the expression of proteins and mRNA associated with the TGF-beta 1/Smad2/3 pathway. The 16S rDNA gene sequencing results showed that QgYp can increase the diversity and richness of the gut microbiota in HF rats and alter the composition of the gut microbiota.Conclusion QgYp could effectively ameliorate HF, and this effect might be connected to the downregulation of the TGF-beta 1/Smad2/3 pathway, the suppression of HSCs activation, and regulation of gut microbiota dysbiosis.
基金:
Fifth Batch of Suzhou Health Talent Training Program [GSWS2020094]; Suzhou Science and Technology Development Guiding Project [SKYXD2022099]; Suzhou Health Talent Research Project of Suzhou Science and Technology Bureau [GSWS2022078]; The 2023 Suzhou Science and Technology Development Plan (Basic Research-Basic Medical Application Research) Project [SKY2023069]
第一作者机构:[1]Nanjing Univ Chinese Med, Suzhou Tradit Chinese Med Hosp, Key Lab Evaluat & Transformat Wu Men Med Sch Empir, Suzhou, Peoples R China
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推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714):
Xue Wenjing,Liu Haiqing,Su Ziheng,et al.Qinggan Yipi capsule ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in rats by down-regulating the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway and improving gut microbiota imbalance[J].FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY.2025,16:doi:10.3389/fphar.2025.1525914.
APA:
Xue, Wenjing,Liu, Haiqing,Su, Ziheng,Wang, Siqi,Cheng, Junping...&Zhang, Lurong.(2025).Qinggan Yipi capsule ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in rats by down-regulating the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway and improving gut microbiota imbalance.FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY,16,
MLA:
Xue, Wenjing,et al."Qinggan Yipi capsule ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in rats by down-regulating the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway and improving gut microbiota imbalance".FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY 16.(2025)