Study on changes of Th1/Th2 cytokines with the treatment of Huang-Qin-Tang in damp-heat type ulcerative colitis rats

Objective: Explore the changes of Th1/Th2 cytokines with the treatment of Huang-Qin-Tang in damp-heat type ulcerative colitis rat. Methods: A total of 90 SD rats were randomly divided into blank group, model group and Huang-Qin-Tang group. Blank group were not given any drug intervention, while Huang-Qin-Tang group and model group were given high-fat high-sugar diet and trinitro-benzene-sulfonic acid in artificial of hot humid climate to induce damp-heat type ulcerative colitis rat model. The model group did not receive any treatment measures, while the Huang-Qin-Tang group used Huang-Qin-Tang. Clinical activity, changes in body weight, colon length weight, spleen and thymus weight and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of three groups were observed. Serum interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-12 (IL-12) of rats was tested in the three groups. Results: After treatment, the activity and the symptoms of Huang-Qin-Tang group were improved compared with model group. The expression of Th1 cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-12) decreased and Th2 cytokines (IL4, IL-10) increased in Huang-Qin-Tang group. Conclusion: The Huang-Qin-Tang can effectively improve the inflammatory reaction of ulcerative colitis in rats and regulate the balance of Th1/Th2 cytokines, which provides a new idea and method for clinical treatment of damp-heat type ulcerative colitis.