Search for Therapeutic Drugs Against Ulcerative Colitis-Mechanism Elucidation of Daikenchuto

Daikenchuto (DKT) is a traditional Japanese medicine composed of four medicinal herbs. In the present study, we examined the effect of DKT on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced experimental colitis and colitis-associated cancer (CAC) in mice and investigated the underlying mechanisms of the protective action.DKT reduced the severity of DSS-induced colitis and the elevation of inflammatory cytokines in the colon of colitis mice. In addition, DKT suppressed the expression of TNF-alpha on the intestinal macrophages of inflamed colonic mucosa. Interestingly, DKT significantly reduced the number and size of colonic tumors in mice with CAC. The present study demonstrates that DKT suppresses acute colitis and colitis-associated tumorigenesis. Furthermore, it is presumed that DKT downregulates the expression of inflammatory mediators, thereby reducing the colonic tumorigenesis associated with chronic colitis.