## 3 Results and Discussion
### The Effects of U. pertusa on the Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines  
SCFAs maintain intestinal homeostasis by modulating the integrity of the intestinal barrier and suppressing nuclear factors, such as NF-KB, which is pivotal in the inflammatory cascade [31]. Notably, butyrate, an SCFA, may suppress the activation of NF-KB associated with inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1B, TNF-\(\alpha\), and IL-6 [32, 33, 34].  
Recent studies have verified the association between constipation and cytokines, establishing an augmented presence of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-\(\alpha\), IL-1B, and IL-6, in participants and mice with constipation [15, 29, 35, 36]. These studies have indicated that constipation may be associated with intestinal motility and inflammatory processes regulated by SCFAs. Therefore, we speculated a possible link between the beneficial effects of dietary intake of _U. pertusa_ on intestinal motility and mechanisms underlying the amelioration of inflammatory processes via the enhancement of SCFA generation. To verify the abovementioned hypothesis, we investigated any possible changes in the levels of NF-KB and IL-1B in response to the dietary intake of _U. pertusa_. An increased NF-kB level was observed in the intestinal tissue of the constipation group (C, 1.635 \(\pm\) 0.292 ng/mL) (Figure 5A). Intriguingly, _U. pertusa_ treatment decreased the NF-kB level (AL, 0.947 \(\pm\) 0.165 ng/mL; AH, 0.939 \(\pm\) 0.082 ng/mL; \(p\) < 0.01) compared with the control group. Furthermore, loreparamide significantly increased the IL-1B level (C, 602.16 \(\pm\) 220.45 pg/mL) relative to that of the vehicle group (N, 142.20 \(\pm\) 21.99 pg/mL; \(p\) < 0.001) (Figure 5B). The administration of _U. pertusa_ at low and high concentrations substantially decreased the constipation-associated IL-1B level (AL, 139.19 \(\pm\) 23.65 pg/mL; AH, 162.01 \(\pm\) 14.25 pg/mL; \(p\) < 0.001).  
Figure 5: The effects of _U. pertusa_ administration on the levels of inflammatory cytokines in intestinal tissues in loreparamide-treated mice. (**A,B**) An assessment of the levels of the inflammatory cytokines NF-kB (**A**) and IL-1B (**B**) within the colon using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Experiments were conducted in septupplicate. Results are presented as the mean \(\pm\) standard deviation. *_p_ < 0.05, **_p_ < 0.01, **_p_ < 0.001 compared with the control group. Abbreviations: N, vehicle; C, control; P, positive control; AL, 100 mg:kg\({}^{-1}\).day\({}^{-1}\)_U. pertusa_ extract; AH, 500 mg:kg\({}^{-1}\).day\({}^{-1}\)_U. pertusa_ extract; NF-kB, nuclear factor-kappa B; IL-1B, interleukin-1B.  
As depicted in Figure 5, the NF-KB and IL-1B levels were reduced by _U. pertussis_. These findings indicate that _U. pertussis_ improves bowel movement and intestinal motility by regulating NF-kB and IL-1B activation in mice with loreamide-induced constipation.  
In summary, this study revealed that the dietary intake of _U. pertussis_ improves bowel movement and intestinal motility. Therefore, _U. pertussis_ can be utilized as a dietary supplement for maintaining normal bowel movement. These effects may be associated with SCFAs, which concurrently reduce the levels of proinflammatory cytokines NF-kB and IL-1B, but further study is needed. Future research is needed to elucidate the relationship between short-chain fatty acids and inflammatory factors, as well as to investigate the effects of _U. pertussis_ extracts on these mechanisms.