Basic Study
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World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2025; 31(9): 102256
Published online Mar 7, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i9.102256
Runchangningshen paste activates NLRP6 inflammasome-mediated autophagy to stimulate colonic mucin-2 secretion and modulates mucosal microbiota in functional constipation
Xue-Jiao Liu, Ye-li-ya Ye-er-tai, Yue-Bo Jia, Chen-Heng Wu, Xiang-Xiang Wang, Ke-Ming Yang, Xuan Yao, Jiang-Hong Ling
Xue-Jiao Liu, Ye-li-ya Ye-er-tai, Yue-Bo Jia, Chen-Heng Wu, Jiang-Hong Ling, Department of Gastroenterology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200021, China
Xiang-Xiang Wang, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Ke-Ming Yang, Department of Gastroenterology, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen 518033, Guangdong Province, China
Xuan Yao, Guangdong Shaxi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Zhongshan 528471, Guangdong Province, China
Co-first authors: Xue-Jiao Liu and Ye-li-ya Ye-er-tai.
Co-corresponding authors: Xuan Yao and Jiang-Hong Ling.
Author contributions: Liu XJ and Ye-er-tai YLY designed the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript; Liu XJ and Jia YB conducted the experimental research; Wu CH, Wang XX, and Yang KM provided the research software and experimental methods; Yao X and Ling JH contributed to the experimental design and financial support; All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy and approved the final manuscript. Liu XJ and Ye-er-tai YLY contributed equally to this work as co-first authors. Yao X and Ling JH contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors. The first corresponding author is my doctoral advisor, Ling JH, who has been instrumental in the conceptualization and design of our research project. Ling JH has provided invaluable guidance throughout the study, from the development of the hypothesis to the interpretation of the results. Her expertise in the field has been crucial in ensuring the scientific rigor and relevance of our work. The second corresponding author is Yao X, the manager at Guangdong Shaxi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, the company that supplied the medications used in our study. Yao X has been instrumental not only in facilitating our research by ensuring the availability of the necessary pharmaceuticals but also in supporting the dissemination of our findings by taking responsibility for the payment of the article’s publication fees. Both corresponding authors have made significant contributions to the research and its publication, and their involvement is critical for any further correspondence regarding the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82174309; and Shanghai Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Siming Fund Special Project for Scientific Research, No. SGKJ-202304.
Institutional review board statement: No human experimentation was involved.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by the Shanghai University of TCM Animal Experimental Ethics Committee (Protocol No. PZSHUTCM2306150012).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jiang-Hong Ling, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 185 Pu'an Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai 200021, China. ljh18817424778@163.com
Received: October 13, 2024
Revised: December 6, 2024
Accepted: January 2, 2025
Published online: March 7, 2025
Processing time: 127 Days and 23.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Runchangningshen paste (RCNSP) is used to treat functional constipation. Based on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, animal experiments, and the gut microbiota sequencing, we found that RCNSP could activate the inflammasome-mediated autophagy pathway to promote mucin-2 secretion and modulate the mucosal microbiota. In addition, mucosal microbiota might also promote mucin-2 secretion by activating the NLRP6-mediated autophagy pathway. These findings offer valuable information on the therapeutic efficacy of RCNSP and enhance the theoretical basis of traditional Chinese medicine regarding the nourishment of yin and blood for treating functional constipation.