Alleviating the Intestinal Absorption of Rhein in Rhubarb through Herb Compatibility in Tiaowei Chengqi Tang in Caco-2 Cells

Tiaowei Chengqi Tang (TWCQT) is composed of rhubarb, processed liquorice, and Natrii Sulfas, which is used as a purgative in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This study focused on the intestinal absorption of rhein in disassembly of the TWCQT extracts through the Caco-2 cell monolayer model to explicate the possible detoxification mechanism of herb-herb compatibility in TWCQT. The results showed that the intestinal absorption of rhein occurred through active diffusion, and rhein might be composed of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) substrates. The extract of processed liquorice increased the exclusion rate and reduced intracellular uptake of rhein. The consistent results observed in TWCQT further implied that processed liquorice in TWCQT could suppress the absorption of rhein across the Caco-2 cell monolayer. It has therefore been concluded that the active ingredients of processed liquorice may play a critical role in reducing the intestinal absorption of rhein to alleviate the toxicity of rhubarb in TWCQT. Because of BCRP’s involvement in rhein transport, we conjectured that some components in processed liquorice could inhibit the transport of rhein, possibly by mediating BCRP. These results would provide new insight into this ancient drug combination in toxicity reduction and clinical use.

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