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World J Stem Cells. Jun 26, 2026; 18(6): 119228
Published online Jun 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.119228
Published online Jun 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.119228
Tongxie Yaofang enhances the homing efficiency of exogenous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells to the colonic mucosa and alleviates ulcerative colitis
Shan-Shan Gong, Department of Gastroenterology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China
Meng-Lin Li, Department of Geriatrics, Jinhua Fifth Hospital, Jinhua 321000, Zhejiang Province, China
Liu Liu, Department of Gastroenterology, Huzhou Wuxing Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang Province, China
Bin Lv, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Gong SS and Lv B designed the experimental study; Gong SS, Li ML, and Liu L conducted the experiment; Gong SS drafted the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Grammarly and DeepL were used. I have used Grammarly and DeepL for translation and writing assistance of the manuscript.
Supported by the Basic Public Welfare Research Program of Zhejiang Province, No. LQ23H270008.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (IACUC Protocol No. IACUC-202404-26).
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: Data will be made available upon reasonable request and with the permission of the corresponding authors.
Corresponding author: Bin Lv, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, No. 54 Youdian Road, Shang
Received: January 26, 2026
Revised: February 15, 2026
Accepted: April 1, 2026
Published online: June 26, 2026
Processing time: 152 Days and 21 Hours
Revised: February 15, 2026
Accepted: April 1, 2026
Published online: June 26, 2026
Processing time: 152 Days and 21 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are a promising therapy for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, their clinical use is limited by poor homing to the colonic mucosa. Tongxie Yaofang (TXYF) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula. Our findings indicate that TXYF enhances the homing of BMSCs to the colonic mucosa and ameliorates symptoms of UC. This effect appears to involve modulation of the stromal cell-derived factor 1/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 axis. These findings suggest that TXYF may serve as an adjunct strategy to improve the efficacy of BMSCs-based therapy for UC.