Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2026; 32(44): 122250
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.122250
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.122250
Targeting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in inflammatory bowel disease: Mechanisms and challenges of traditional Chinese medicine treatment
Xiao-Xue Lu, Xu-Hao Li, School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China
Xuan Li, Hua-Jie Tian, General Surgery, Linyi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Linyi 276003, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Xiao-Xue Lu and Xuan Li.
Co-corresponding authors: Hua-Jie Tian and Xu-Hao Li.
Author contributions: Li X, Li XH and Lu XX contributed to writing - first draft preparation; Lu XX contributed to paper revision (original draft) and response to reviewers (drafting of point-by-point responses); Li XH and Tian HJ contributed to writing - review & editing, and response to reviewers (critical revision of response content); Tian HJ and Li XH contributed to visualization (preparation of new Figure 2 and revision of Figure 1); Li XX contributed to supervision; Tian HJ contributed to project management; Li X and Tian HJ contributed to funding acquisition. Lu XX, Li X, and Li XH contributed to data curation (preparation of new Table 1 and reference updating). All authors participated in the manuscript revision process, approved the final version, and agreed to the submission.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using artificial intelligence (AI) tools (DeepL) solely for language refinement, grammar correction, and sentence fluency improvement, under the full supervision and verification of the authors. No AI tools were used to generate scientific content, data, figures, tables, conclusions, or any original intellectual contributions. All authors assume full responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest, including any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of this manuscript. No funding or sponsorship has been received from any organization that might have an interest in the submitted work.
Corresponding author: Xu-Hao Li, MD, Postdoc, School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 4655 University Road, Changqing District, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China. l1xuhao2022@163.com
Received: April 14, 2026
Revised: May 12, 2026
Accepted: July 1, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 169 Days and 17.3 Hours
Revised: May 12, 2026
Accepted: July 1, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 169 Days and 17.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This minireview discusses the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in traditional Chinese medicine for treating inflammatory bowel disease. Based on literature, it analyzes the pathway as a common target for herbal compounds and acupuncture-moxibustion, offering insights into treatment mechanisms and efficacy optimization. Understanding this pathway is crucial for advancing traditional Chinese medicine modernization and achieving precise inflammatory bowel disease therapy.