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oai:figshare.com:article/33871807 2026-09-17T05:30:48Z category_19 portal_316 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Table 1_Combined Taraxacum mongolicum and Astragalus polysaccharides attenuate CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis through modulation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and gut microbiota composition.docx Yingjie Ma (1393597) Chaoxing Wang (25002016) Xue Chen (127892) Shiqing Sun (20807466) Shuang Li (146392) Baisong Guo (19971759) Wenda Wang (1375923) Yu Shen (10486) Yu Zhang (12946) Yuliang Wang (437561) Pharmacology Astragalus polysaccharide gut microbiota gut-liver axis hepatic fibrosis Taraxacum mongolicum polysaccharide TLR4/MYD88/NF-κB signaling pathway Background<p>Hepatic fibrosis represents a critical pathological stage in the progression of chronic liver diseases, yet clinically effective and low-toxicity therapeutic options remain limited. Taraxacum mongolicum and Astragalus form a classic hepatoprotective herbal pair, and their derived polysaccharides-Taraxacum mongolicum polysaccharides (TMP) and Astragalus polysaccharides (APS)-both exhibit hepatoprotective activities. This study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effects of TMP combined with APS on CCl₄-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice and the gut-liver axis-associated changes.</p>Methods<p>Mice were randomly assigned to the blank control, model, silybin, Lizhu Changle (live Bifidobacterium adolescentis capsules), TMP monotherapy, APS monotherapy, and combination groups. Following the establishment of fibrosis by CCl₄, a 4-week intervention was administered. Serum liver function parameters and fibrosis markers were measured, and hepatic histopathological changes were observed. Intestinal function was comprehensively evaluated. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The protein expression of the hepatic TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway was further assessed.</p>Results<p>Compared with TMP or APS alone, the combination significantly improved multiple fibrosis-related, inflammatory, intestinal barrier, microbial diversity, and SCFA-related indices, although significant superiority was not observed for PC III and TNF-α. The combination also more strongly suppressed hepatic TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway expression.</p>Conclusion<p>TMP combined with APS exerts enhanced anti-hepatic fibrosis effects compared with either monotherapy. These effects are associated with changes in gut microbiota composition, elevated fecal short-chain fatty acid levels, reduced expression of hepatic TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway-related molecules. These findings provide an experimental basis for further investigation of this herbal pair.</p> 2026-09-17T05:30:48Z Dataset Dataset 10.3389/fphar.2026.1904671.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Table_1_Combined_Taraxacum_mongolicum_and_Astragalus_polysaccharides_attenuate_CCl4-induced_hepatic_fibrosis_through_modulation_of_the_TLR4_MyD88_NF-_B_signaling_pathway_and_gut_microbiota_composition_docx/33871807 CC BY 4.0