Research progress in the treatment of colorectal cancer in classical prescriptions

Shanghan Zabing Lun,an acient book of Chinese medicine that published in Han dynasty(219 C.E.),is the first monograph in China that has the principles of prescription and treatment.Modern physicians flexibly applied many classical prescriptions recorded on this acientd book,such as Banxia Xiexin decoction,Da Chengqi decoction,Yiyi Fuzi Bijiang decoction and Wumei pill for the treatment of colorectal cancer and its complications,and made some progress in clinical and experimental research.Studies have shown that classical prescriptions alone or in combination with other therapies can improve immunity,prevent cancer from recurrence and metastasis,reduce the side effects of anticancer drugs,improve quality of life,and prolong the survival of cancer patients.However,the current clinical and mechanistic studies on the treatment of classical prescriptions still need to explore in depth.This study aims to summarize the clinical and research progress in the treatment of colorectal cancer with classical prescriptions in recent years.

Effects of mild moxibustion on intestinal microbiome and NLRP3 inflammasome in rats with 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucositis

Objective:The present study investigated how mild moxibustion treatment affects the intestinal Microbiome and expression of NLRP3-related immune factors in a rat model of intestinal mucositis(IM)induced with 5-fluorouracil(5-Fu).Methods:Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control,chemotherapy,moxibustion and probiotics groups.The IM rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 5-Fu.Mild moxibustion treatment and intragastric probiotic administration were provided once daily for 15 days.Tissue morphology,serum levels of inflammatory factors and the expression levels of tight junction proteins,caspase-1,gasdermin D and NLRP3 were evaluated in colon tissue,through hematoxylin and eosin staining,electron microscopy,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,Western blotting,quantitative realtime reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence.Gut microbiome profiling was conducted through 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing.Results:Moxibustion and probiotic treatments significantly increased the expression levels of tight junction proteins,reduced cell apoptosis and the expression levels of caspase-1,gasdermin D and NLRP3;they also decreased the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin(IL)-6,IL-1βand IL-18,while increasing serum levels of IL-10.Moxibustion and probiotic treatments also corrected the reduction inα-diversity andβ-diversity in IM rats,greatly increased the proportion of the dominant bacterial genus Lactobacillus and reduced the abundance of the genera Roseburia and Escherichia in chemotherapytreated rats to levels observed in healthy animals.We also found that these dominant genera were firmly correlated with the regulation of pyroptosis-associated proteins and inflammatory factors.Finally,moxibustion and probiotic treatments elicited similar effects in regulating intestinal host-microbial homeostasis and the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome-related factors.Conclusion:Moxibustion exerts its therapeutic effect on IM by ameliorating mucosal damage and reducing inflammation.Moreover,moxibustion modulates the gut microbiota,likely via decreasing the expression levels of the NLRP3 inflammasome.