Targeting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in inflammatory bowel disease: Mechanisms and challenges of traditional Chinese medicine treatment

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of herbal acupuncture and moxibustion intervention in inflammatory bowel disease through Wnt signaling pathway. The left panel illustrates three representative traditional Chinese medicine interventions—herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion—which target the intestinal tract. The enlarged view of the intestinal microenvironment on the right shows that, in the pathological states of colorectal cancer (CRC) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), tumor tissues abnormally activate the Wnt signaling pathway: Wnt ligands inhibit the degradation of β-catenin by the Axin/GSK3β complex, promoting the entry of β-catenin into the cell nucleus and activating the T-cell factor transcription factor; simultaneously, dysregulation of this pathway modulates immune cells such as Th17, Treg, and ILC3, mediating the secretion of cytokines including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-10, and IL-22 via RORγt, thereby influencing intestinal inflammation and tumor progression. The schematic diagram illustrates how traditional Chinese medicine can improve the intestinal pathological microenvironment by targeting the Wnt pathway and immune networks, thereby demonstrating its potential for the prevention and treatment of CRC and IBD. CRC: Colorectal cancer; IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease; TCF: T-cell factor; IL: Interleukin. Adapted from WPS Docer Image Library, by Kingsoft Office (Supplementary material).