Unlocking the therapeutic potential of traditional Chinese medicine in Crohn’s disease: from multi-target mechanisms to clinical promise
- 1Department of Anorectal, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Abstract
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract with an unclear etiology. Current Western therapies, including 5-aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, biologics, and immunomodulators, often fail to maintain sustained remission and are associated with significant adverse effects and high recurrence rates following drug withdrawal. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown potential in alleviating CD symptoms through multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms. Thus, this review aims to systematically summarize recent advances in understanding the mechanisms by which TCM intervenes in CD, focusing mainly on: regulating immune balance (including modulation of Th1/Th2, Th17/Treg, and M1/M2 macrophage polarization), attenuating inflammatory cascades (via NF-κB, MAPK, PI3K/AKT, and JAK/STAT pathways), reducing oxidative stress, regulating programmed cell death in intestinal epithelial cells (including apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and autophagic cell death), enhancing intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, and promoting restoration of intestinal microbial homeostasis. Furthermore, TCM combined with Western therapies may exert synergistic effects to improve clinical efficacy and reduce relapse risk. Future research could further integrate network pharmacology and multi-omics technologies to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of TCM more deeply, advancing precision therapeutics for CD.
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BibTeX
@article{zhou2026unlocking,
title = {{Unlocking the therapeutic potential of traditional Chinese medicine in Crohn’s disease: from multi-target mechanisms to clinical promise}},
author = {Meng’en Zhou and Yan Chen and Jie Hu and Xiutian Guo and Wenqi Jin},
journal = {Frontiers in Immunology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1719353},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1719353/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Unlocking the therapeutic potential of traditional Chinese medicine in Crohn’s disease: from multi-target mechanisms to clinical promise
AU - Meng’en Zhou
AU - Yan Chen
AU - Jie Hu
AU - Xiutian Guo
AU - Wenqi Jin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1719353
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1719353/full
AB - Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract with an unclear etiology. Current Western therapies, including 5-aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, biologics, and immunomodulators, often fail to maintain sustained remission and are associated with significant adverse effects and high recurrence rates following drug withdrawal. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown potential in alleviating CD symptoms through multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms. Thus, this review aims to systematically summarize recent advances in understanding the mechanisms by which TCM intervenes in CD, focusing mainly on: regulating immune balance (including modulation of Th1/Th2, Th17/Treg, and M1/M2 macrophage polarization), attenuating inflammatory cascades (via NF-κB, MAPK, PI3K/AKT, and JAK/STAT pathways), reducing oxidative stress, regulating programmed cell death in intestinal epithelial cells (including apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and autophagic cell death), enhancing intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, and promoting restoration of intestinal microbial homeostasis. Furthermore, TCM combined with Western therapies may exert synergistic effects to improve clinical efficacy and reduce relapse risk. Future research could further integrate network pharmacology and multi-omics technologies to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of TCM more deeply, advancing precision therapeutics for CD.
SN - 1664-3224
ER -