Chinese Medicine-Derived Natural Compounds and Intestinal Regeneration: Mechanisms and Experimental Evidence
Abstract
Intestinal regeneration is essential for maintaining epithelial integrity and repairing mucosal damage caused by inflammation, infections, or injuries. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long utilized herbal remedies for gastrointestinal disorders, and accumulating evidence highlights that natural compounds derived from TCM possess significant regenerative potential. This review summarizes the multifaceted mechanisms by which these bioactive compounds promote intestinal healing. Key actions include the stimulation of intestinal stem cell (ISC) proliferation and differentiation, the modulation of inflammatory responses, the reinforcement of epithelial barrier integrity, the attenuation of oxidative stress, and the reshaping of the gut microbiota. Representative compounds such as Astragalus polysaccharides, berberine, curcumin, puerarin, and flavonoids like quercetin exhibit these effects through signaling pathways, including HIF-1, Wnt/β-catenin, NF-κB, Nrf2, and IL-22. Evidence from in vitro organoid models and in vivo studies in colitis, radiation injury, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and intestinal dysmotility and diarrhea models demonstrates that these compounds enhance crypt villus regeneration, preserve tight junctions, and improve clinical outcomes. The holistic, multi-target actions of Chinese medicine-derived natural products make them promising candidates for therapeutic strategies aimed at intestinal repair. Further clinical validation and mechanistic studies…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a review, done in cell cultures (in vitro), not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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