Zhang LK, Gu WC, Chen J. Unveiling Yiyi Fuzi Baijiang powder: Microecological and network pharmacology approach to ulcerative colitis treatment. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(42): 111708 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i42.111708]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jian Chen, MD, PhD, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, No. 105 Jiefang Road, Lixia District, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China. chenjian860103@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Basic Study
Open-Access Policy of This Article
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/
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2025; 31(42): 111708 Published online Nov 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i42.111708
Unveiling Yiyi Fuzi Baijiang powder: Microecological and network pharmacology approach to ulcerative colitis treatment
Liang-Kun Zhang, Wen-Chao Gu, Jian Chen
Liang-Kun Zhang, Jian Chen, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China
Wen-Chao Gu, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China
Wen-Chao Gu, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China
Jian Chen, State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Beijing 100700, China
Co-first authors: Liang-Kun Zhang and Wen-Chao Gu.
Author contributions: Chen J designed and coordinated the study; Zhang LK and Gu WC performed the experiments, acquired and analyzed data; Zhang LK interpreted the data; Zhang LK and Gu WC wrote the manuscript; all authors approved the final version of the article.
Supported by Key Project at Central Government Level, No. 2060302; Key Project of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology in Shandong Province, No. Z-2023015; and Clinical Medical Science and Technology Innovation Program of Jinan Science and Technology Bureau, No. 202328043.
Institutional review board statement: This study does not involve any human experiments.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. SDUTCM20191015101).
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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: All the data obtained in the current study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.
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: Jian Chen, MD, PhD, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, No. 105 Jiefang Road, Lixia District, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China. chenjian860103@163.com
Received: July 14, 2025 Revised: August 6, 2025 Accepted: October 11, 2025 Published online: November 14, 2025 Processing time: 124 Days and 16.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Yiyi Fuzi Baijiang powder (YFB), a classic Chinese medicine, significantly affects ulcerative colitis (UC). However, it remains unclear whether YFB plays a therapeutic role by improving the intestinal flora of UC patients and its active ingredients.
AIM
To explore the mechanisms of action of YFB in treating UC.
METHODS
A mouse model of UC was established by drinking 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Mice were treated with YFB. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to detect changes in intestinal flora and perform functional predictions. Corresponding target genes of core active ingredients in YFB and UC were obtained using multiple database retrievals and then used to predict the mechanism of overlapping targets. After screening core ingredients and target genes, AutoDock software was used for molecular docking, and the best binding target was selected to verify binding activity.
RESULTS
YFB improved DSS-UC mice by restoring body weight, reducing disease activity index, increasing water and food intake, and alleviating diarrhea and local histopathological damage. YFB enhanced beta diversity, decreased pathogenic bacteria such as Turicibacter and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and increased probiotics such as unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae and Akkermansia. However, it also reduced anaerobic probiotics such as Ruminococcus, Enterorhabdus and Bifidobacterium. Network pharmacology identified 17 pathways, with cancer and adipocytokine signaling pathways showing significant differences in predicting intestinal microbial function. Molecular docking revealed that nuclear factor kappa-B inhibitor A, RELA and NFKB1, and colchamine, morusin and orotinin had docking scores > 5.0.
CONCLUSION
YFB treats UC by reducing harmful bacteria and boosting probiotics to restore intestinal balance, while potentially influencing signaling pathways.
Core Tip: The therapeutic application of Yiyi Fuzi Baijiang powder (YFB) for ulcerative colitis (UC) extends beyond merely altering the structure and abundance of gut microbiota. Instead, it aims to restore dynamic equilibrium by comprehensively modulating the intestinal microecological balance, thereby facilitating disease recovery. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that YFB powder may exert its effects on UC through potential mechanisms involving the NFKB1, RELA, and nuclear factor kappa B inhibitor alpha regulatory pathways, as well as the cancer and adipocytokine signaling pathways.
