Objective To observe the dynamic changes of high mobility group protein B1 ( HMGB1 )expression in the lung of rats with Vibrio vulnificus sepsis so as to unravel the role of HMGB1 in lung injury.Methods Sixty rats of clean grade were randomly divided into normal control group ( A group, n = 10) and Vibrio vulnificus sepsis group (B group, n =50). Sepsis model was made in rats with subcutaneous injection of Vibrio vulnificus with concentration of 6 × 108 cfu/ml in dose of 0. 1 ml/100 g into left lower limb.The rats of group B were sacrificed 1 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after infection for taking lung tissues to detect the water content of lung and to observe the histopathological changes in lung under light microscope.The expression of HMGB1 mRNA and the level of HMGB1 protein in the lungs were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Data were analysed with ANOVA and LSD method for comparison between groups, and P ＜0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Compared with the group A (0.652±0. 177), the expressions of HMGB1 mRNA in lung of rats of group B were significantly higher in 12 hours (1. 161 ±0.358, P=0.013), 24 hours (1.679 ±0.235, P =0.000) and 48 hours (1.258 ±0.274, P=0.004) and reached the peak in 24 h. Compared with group A (0.594 ±0. 190), the level of HMGB1 protein in rats of group B 6 h after infection ( 1. 408 ± 0. 567, P = 0. 026) was significantly increased (P＜0.05), and it reached peak in 24 h (2.415 ± 1.064, P =0.000) after infection. Compared with group A (0.699 ± 0.054), the lung water contents in rats of group B were significantly increased in 6 h (0.759±0.030, P=0.001), in 12 h (0.767 ±0.023, P =0.000), in 24 h (0.771 ±0.043, P=0.000) and in 48 h (0.789 ±0.137, P=0.000) after infection. Compared with group A, the pathological changes in the lung of rats in group B showed clearly marked pulmonary vascular congestion, interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration, and those changes became more and more serious until alveolar sacs entirely collapsed and the boundaries of the alveolar septa could not be clearly identified in 48 h. Conclusions Vibrio vulnificus sepsis leads to the lung injury of infected rats, and the increase in the expression of HMGB1 mRNA in lung might be one of the mechanisms of lung injury in rats with Vibrio vulnificus sepsis.

Liumotang comes from the Yuan dynasty's Effective Prescription Handed Down for Generations of Physicians. It is composed of six medicinal materials： Arecae Semen， Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum， Aucklandiae Radix， Linderae Radix， Rhei Radix et Rhizoma， and Aurantii Fructus. It is a classical formula for treating abdominal pain due to Qi stagnation and constipation accompanied by heat. This study systematically collated the records of Liumotang in ancient medical books and modern clinical literature and conducted in-depth analysis and textual research on its formula source， main diseases， composition， dosage， medical books， container capacity， processing， preparation method， usage， drug basis， formula meaning， and other key information， so as to provide a powerful reference for the development and clinical application of compound preparations of the classical formula Liumotang. The results show that Liumotang was first seen in Effective Prescription Handed Down for Generations of Physicians， and many medical books of the past dynasties have imitated this. In terms of drug basis， the dried and mature seeds of the palm plant Areca catechu， resin-containing wood of the Daphneaceae plant Aquilaria sinensis， the dried roots of the Asteraceae plant woody Aucklandia lappa， the dried tuber root of the Lauraceae plant Lindera aggregata， the dried roots and rhizomes of the knotweed plant， R. palmatum， R.tangutikum， and R. officinale， and the dried and unripe fruits of the citrus genus C. aurantium and its cultivated varieties from the family Rutaceae were selected. In terms of dosage， through the textual research on bowls in the Ming and Qing dynasties， combined with the conversion of medicines and bowl capacity in the Qing dynasty， it was estimated that the dosage of each drug in the Yuan dynasty was 10.86 g. In the Ming and Qing dynasties， the dosage of drugs was mostly equal， but the dosage of drugs was somewhat different. In terms of processing， preparation method， and usage， in the medical books of the past dynasties， the processing of drugs has slightly changed， but raw drugs are used in all preparations. The preparation method and usage did not change much during the Yuan， Ming， and Qing dynasties， except for certain differences in dosage. In terms of syndrome， Liumotang was first used to treat abdominal pain due to Qi stagnation and constipation accompanied by heat. Medical books of the past dynasties often omit the symptoms of heat. In modern clinical practice， Liumotang is mainly used in the digestive system and urinary system diseases and is mostly used to treat constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome， biliary reflux gastritis， functional constipation， slow transit constipation， and other diseases， with no adverse reactions found yet. The above results provide a reliable scientific basis for the development and clinical treatment of Liumotang compound preparations.