Xiao-Yan Liu,1,* Zi-Xuan Liu,1,* Wei-Wei Tan,1 Wei-Bing Zhang,1 Ya-Li Zhang,2 Lie Zheng,3 Ren-Ye Que,1 Hong-Zhu Wen,4 Yan-Cheng Dai1 

1Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200082, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Digestive Diseases, Long Hua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Gastroenterology, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an, 710003, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Gastroenterology, Long Hua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Yan-Cheng Dai; Hong-Zhu Wen, Email daiyancheng2005@126.com; ellawhz@sina.com

Abstract: Portulaca oleracea L. (POL) has a long history of medicinal use worldwide, and numerous clinical and experimental studies demonstrated the therapeutic effects of POL and its active ingredients in the treatment of Ulcerative colitis (UC). In this review, we summarized the underlying mechanisms and roles of POL in UC treatment based on experimental and clinical studies. The research articles cited in this study were obtained by employing specific keywords, such as “purslane”, “IBD”, “UC”, “inflammation”, “gut microbiota”, and “intestinal barrier”, in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Clinical studies found that both POL monotherapy and POL traditional Chinese medicine compound are effective in treating UC. Meanwhile, experimental studies found that POL intervenes in UC by regulating intestinal flora, repairing mucosal barrier, and regulating immune response. Increasing evidence suggests the therapeutic potential of POL in UC treatment.

Keywords: ulcerative colitis, Portulaca oleracea L., gut microbiota, intestinal barrier, immunoregulation