Recent Progress on the Actions and Mechanisms of Alkaloids from Coptis Chinensis on Ulcerative Colitis

Coptis chinensis is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of clearing heat and drying dampness, purging fire for removing toxin. The main active ingredients are alkaloids, like berberine, jateorhizine, coptisine, epiberberine and some other alkaloids. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Coptis chinensis possess antibacterial, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and other pharmacological effects, and is widely used in the treatment of bacterial dysentery, gastritis, ulcerative colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases. In recent years, compound formulas containing Coptis chinensis, Coptis chinensis extracts and the alkaloid components from Coptis chinensis have shown therapeutic potential in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Based on this, this paper systematically analyses and summarizes the anti-ulcerative colitis mechanisms of Coptis chinensis and its alkaloid components from the perspectives of regulating inflammatory response, normalizing immune imbalance, regulating gut microbiota-host interactions, and maintaining the intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, so as to provide references for the development of Coptis chinensis and therapeutic drugs for ulcerative colitis.