In this study, we explored the pharmacological mechanisms of Huangqin Tang (HQT; a traditional Chinese medicine formula) in ulcerative colitis (UC) and provided evidence for potential roles HQT plays by gene expression profiling. The UC rat model was made via a compound method (trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid plus ethanol). After a ten-day treatment, microarray analysis was performed from the colon segment of the rats. Biological functions and specific signaling pathways were enriched based on differentially expressed genes (DEG), and corresponding gene networks were constructed via Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Through the network, we screened the potential “candidate targets,” such as ITGB1, FN1, CASP3, and ITGA5 and FABP1, ABCB1, FABP2, and SLC51B. These potential candidate targets were functionally related to immune responses, inflammation, and metabolism. Moreover, HQT significantly decreased serum levels of proinflammatory factors nitrogen monoxide (NO), proinflammatory cytokines interleukin- (IL-) 17, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The degree of HE staining of colonic tissue was severe in the model group but reduced significantly in the HQT group. HQT exhibited protective effects against colon damage by inhibiting the inflammatory response.

中文翻译：

---

黄芪汤对溃疡性结肠炎大鼠结肠基因表达的影响。

在这项研究中，我们探讨了黄芪汤（HQT；一种中药配方）在溃疡性结肠炎（UC）中的药理机制，并通过基因表达谱分析为HQT发挥潜在作用提供了证据。通过复合方法（三硝基苯磺酸加乙醇）制成UC大鼠模型。经过十天的治疗，从大鼠的结肠段进行了微阵列分析。基于差异表达基因（DEG）丰富了生物学功能和特定的信号通路，并通过智能路径分析（IPA）构建了相应的基因网络。通过网络，我们筛选了潜在的“候选目标”，例如ITGB1，FN1，CASP3和ITGA5以及FABP1，ABCB1，FABP2和SLC51B。这些潜在的候选靶标在功能上与免疫反应，炎症，和新陈代谢。此外，HQT显着降低了血清促炎因子一氧化氮（NO），促炎细胞因子白介素-（IL-）17和前列腺素E2（PGE2）的血清水平。模型组结肠组织的HE染色程度很严重，而HQT组则明显降低。HQT通过抑制炎症反应对结肠损伤表现出保护作用。