Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 21, 2015; 21(15): 4536-4546
Published online Apr 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i15.4536
Tong Xie Yao Fang relieves irritable bowel syndrome in rats via mechanisms involving regulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine and substance P
Yue Yin, Lei Zhong, Jian-Wei Wang, Xue-Ying Zhao, Wen-Jing Zhao, Hai-Xue Kuang
Yue Yin, Jian-Wei Wang, Xue-Ying Zhao, Wen-Jing Zhao, Chinese Medicine Teaching and Research Office, Basic Medical College of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
Yue Yin, Jian-Wei Wang, Xue-Ying Zhao, Wen-Jing Zhao, Heilongjiang Chinese Medicine key Laboratory, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
Lei Zhong, Department of Breast Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
Hai-Xue Kuang, Basic and Applied Research Key Laboratory, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine and Department of Education, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
Hai-Xue Kuang, Natural Drug Efficacy Material Basic Research Key Laboratory, Heilongjiang Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China
Author contributions: Yin Y and Zhong L contributed equally to this work; Yin Y, Zhong L, Wang JW, Zhao XY, Zhao WJ and Kuang HX designed the research; Zhao XY, Zhao WJ and Kuang HX performed the research; Zhong L, Zhao XY, Zhao WJ, Kuang HX collected the data; Yin Y, Zhong L and Wang JW analyzed the data; and Yin Y and Wang JW wrote the paper.
Supported by National Education Department “ChunHui Plan” Research Projects, No. Z2010021; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Project, No. 2013M531079; Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Funding Project, No. LBH-Z12246; Heilongjiang Education Department Scientific Research Project, No. 12521502; Excellent Innovative Talents Support Program Funding of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine (Outstanding Young Academic Leaders), No. 051217.
Ethics approval: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.
Institutional animal care and use committee: This study was approved by the animal care and use committee of the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.
Conflict-of-interest: All authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Data sharing: No additional data available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Jian-Wei Wang, Professor, Chinese Medicine Teaching and Research Office, Basic Medical College of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, No. 24, Heping Road, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang Province, China. wangjianwei140918@126.com
Telephone: +86-451-82196214 Fax: +86-451-82193624
Received: October 24, 2014
Peer-review started: October 25, 2014
First decision: November 14, 2014
Revised: December 9, 2014
Accepted: January 30, 2015
Article in press: January 30, 2015
Published online: April 21, 2015
Abstract

AIM: To investigate whether the Chinese medicine Tong Xie Yao Fang (TXYF) improves dysfunction in an irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) rat model.

METHODS: Thirty baby rats for IBS modeling were separated from mother rats (1 h per day) from days 8 to 21, and the rectum was expanded by angioplasty from days 8 to 12. Ten normal rats were used as normal controls. We examined the effects of TXYF on defection frequency, colonic transit function and smooth muscle contraction, and the expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and substance P (SP) in colonic and hypothalamus tissues by Western blot and RT-PCT techniques in both normal rats and IBS model rats with characterized visceral hypersensitivity.

RESULTS: Defecation frequency was 1.8 ± 1.03 in normal rats and 4.5 ± 1.58 in IBS model rats (P < 0.001). However, the defecation frequency was significantly decreased (3.0 ± 1.25 vs 4.5 ± 1.58, P < 0.05), while the time (in seconds) of colon transit function was significantly increased (256.88 ± 20.32 vs 93.36 ± 17.28, P < 0.001) in IBS + TXYF group rats than in IBS group rats. Increased colonic smooth muscle tension and contract frequency in IBS model rats were significantly decreased by administration of TXYF. Exogenous agonist stimulants increased spontaneous activity and elicited contractions of colon smooth muscle in IBS model rats, and all of these actions were significantly reduced by TXYF involving 5-HT and SP down-regulation.

CONCLUSION: TXYF can modulate the activity of the enteric nervous system and alter 5-HT and SP activities, which may contribute to the symptoms of IBS.

Keywords: Tong Xie Yao Fang, Irritable bowel syndrome, 5-hydroxytryptamine, Substance P, Traditional Chinese medicine

Core tip: Baby rats separating from mother rats (1 h per day) and rectum expanded with angioplasty were carried out to establish a rat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) model. We examined the ability of the traditional Chinese medicine Tong Xie Yao Fang (TXYF) to improve the dysfunction of gastrointestinal motility in IBS rats. The effects of TXYF on defecation frequency and colonic motility were analyzed by recording contractions of colon smooth muscle and measurement of the expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine and substance P. Exogenous stimulants increased spontaneous activity and elicited contractions of colon smooth muscle in IBS model rats, which were significantly reduced by TXYF.