Study of dual-directional regulatory effect of Banxia (Pinellia ternata) and Huanglian (Coptis chinensis) drug pair on gastrointestinal movement of mice

Objective: To evaluate the regulatory effects of Banxia (Pinellia ternata, P) and Huanglian (Coptis chinensis, C) drug pair, derived from Banxiaxiexin soup, on the gastrointestinal movement of mice with functional dyspepsia. Methods: Mice were treated with different proportions of the P and C drug pair (1:1, 3:1, and 4:1) for 10 days, and subsequently injected with atropine (ATR) or neostigmine (NEO). The effects of the different proportions of P and C were evaluated based on the alvine advance rate. In addition, we used the same modeling method used in the first experiment and administered P:C at ratio of 3:1 and at different doses respectively (4.68 g/L, 2.34 g/L, and 1.17 g/L), and tested levels of the gastrointestinal hormones, gastrin (GAS), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and somatostatin (SS) in the small intestinal tissue using an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Results: In the groups of NEOinduced mice, P:C at ratios of 1:1, 3:1, and 4:1 significantly reduced the alvine advance rate compared with the NEO model group (P=0.003, P=0.012 and P=0.021, respectively). In the groups of ATRinduced mice, only P:1 at ratio of 3:1 significantly increased the alvine advance rate compared with the ATR model group (P=0.007). After exposure to P:C at ratio of 3:1 and at different dose, the GAS level was lower in the low, medium, and highdose NEO groups than that in the NEO model group (P=0.001, P=0.004, and P=0.003, respectively). The VIP levels were higher in the mediumand highdose NEO groups than that in the NEO model group (P=0.004 and P=0.002, respectively). In addition, the SS level increased in the NEO mediumdose group compared with that in the NEO model group (P=0.002). The GAS level was higher in the ATR mediumand highdose groups than in the ATR model group (P=0.007 and P=0.021, respectively). The VIP level was lower in the ATR low, medium, and highdose than that in the ATR model group (P=0.001, P=0.001, and P=0.001, respectively). Furthermore, the SS level was lower in the ATR mediumand highdose groups than that in the ATR model group (P=0.001 and P=0.006). Conclusion: The PC drug pair bidirectionally adjusted the NEOand ATRinduced functional dyspepsia in mice by modulating GAS, VIP, and SS levels in the intestine.