OBJECTIVE：To study the improvement effects of saf flower yellow on lung function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）model rats. METHODS ：SD rats were randomly divided into control group ，model group ，positive control group （dexamethasone，0.09 mg/kg），safflower yellow low-dose ，medium-dose and high-dose groups （5，10，20 mg/kg）， with 10 rats in control group and 11 rats in other groups. Except for control group ，other groups were given lipopolysaccharide combined with fumigation to induce COPD model. After modeling ，control group and model group were given constant volume of normal saline intragastrically ，and administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically ，once a day ，for consecutive 12 weeks. After last medication ，the levels of TNF-α，IL-6 and IL- 8 were detected by ELISA. The levels of blood gas indexes （PaO2，SaO2 and PaCO 2）in whole blood were detected by blood gas analyzer. The levels of lung function indexes （FVC，FEV1， FEV1/FVC，PEF and MMEF ）were detected by lung function analyzer. The expression of TLR 4，NF-κB and I κB-α protein were detected by Western blot. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of lung tissue. RESULTS ：Compared with control group ，the serum levels of TNF-α，IL-6 and IL- 8，the level of PaCO 2 in whole blood as well as the protein expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in lung tissue were increased significantly in model group（P＜0.01）；the levels of PaO 2 and SaO 2 in whole blood，the levels of lung function as FVC ，FEV1，FEV1/ FVC，PEF and MMEF as well as the protein expression of IκBα in lung tissue were decreased significantly（P＜0.01）； there were obvious degeneration and necrosis in the epithelial cells of lung tissue ，and obvious inflammatory infiltration in the interstitial cells. Compared with model group ，the levels o f inflammatory factors in serum ，blood gas indexes in whole blood and lung function indexes as well as the expression of related protein in lung tissue （except for IκBα in low-dose group）were reversed significantly in safflower yellow groups （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）；the necrosis ，exfoliation and inflammatory infiltration of epithelial cells in lung tissue were improved in varying degrees. CONCLUSIONS：Safflower yellow can significantly improve the lung function of COPD model rats ，and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors and regulating the expression of TLR 4/NF-κB pathway-related proteins.

Objective: Corydalis bungeana (CB) is a well-used medicinal herb in Mongolian folk medicine and has been traditionally applied as an antiobesity agent. However, the evidence-based pharmacological effects of CB and its specific metabolic alterations in the obese model are not entirely understood. This study aimed to utilize untargeted metabolomic techniques to identify biomarkers and gain mechanistic insight into the serum metabolite alterations associated with weight loss and lipid metabolism in obese rats. Methods: A high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diet was used to induce obese models in rats. CB extract was orally gavaged at 0.18, 0.9 and 1.8 g/kg doses for six weeks, and feed intake, body weight, fat pad weight, and blood indexes were measured. Blood serum metabolites were evaluated by gas chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS). Results: The results showed that compared with the obese group, the administration of CB extract caused significant decreases in body weight (P < 0.05), feed intake, Lee's index, and perirenal, mesenteric, epididymal fat weight. CB extract also reduced blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels (P < 0.05) of obese rats. Metabolomic findings showed that nine differential metabolites, including pyruvic acid, D-glucuronic acid, malic acid, dimethylglycine, oxoglutaric acid, pantothenic acid, sorbitol acid, fumaric acid and glucose 6-phosphate were identified under CB treatment and altered metabolic pathways such as TCA cycle, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. Conclusion: This study demonstrated weight loss and lipid lowering effects of CB on HFHS diet-induced obese rats and identified nine metabolites as potential biomarkers for evaluating the favorable therapeutic mechanism of CB via regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism.