OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and mechanism of Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. extract (HCE) in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. METHODS: Components identification of HCE was conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry. Mice were sensitized with OVA to establish asthmatic model, and dexamethasone was used as positive control. Respiratory reactivity, white cells counting in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood, cytokine level measurement in serum and lung tissue, and histologic examination were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of HCE on asthma. Network pharmacology approach was used for mechanism prediction. Western blotting and untargeted lipidomics method were applied for mechanism validation. RESULTS: Fifty-two compounds were identified in HCE, predominantly terpenoids and flavonoids. HCE markedly reduced airway resistance, the eosinophil infiltration in lung tissues, and the levels of immunoglobulin E, interleukin-4, interleukin-5, and interleukin-13. Network pharmacology analysis suggested phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) may be key proteins of HCE in the treatment of allergic asthma. Western blot results indicated that the levels of phosphorylated PI3K, JNK, and P38 were downregulated in HCE-treated group. Moreover, HCE significantly upregulated the levels of ceramide and sphingomyelin and downregulated the level of phosphatidylcholine. CONCLUSION HCE inhibited allergic asthma via PI3K/JNK/P38 signaling pathway and lipid homeostasis regulation.

Being a minimally-invasive surgery,the transcatheter arterial embolization treats tumor and vascular diseases mainly through the way of selective endovascular obstruction.Clinically,a variety of embolic agents are available,which include solid embolic agents,liquid embolic agents,and embolic devices.Owing to the consistency of particle size and controllable delivery,the solid embolic agents,especially microspheres-based embolic agents,can effectively achieve the accurate embolization of the tumor blood vessels.Such embolic agents can not only obstruct blood flow but also carry effective anticancer drugs which can be released at the same time of embolization procedure,thus,enhancing the therapeutic effect.Besides,embolic microspheres containing radiopaque components such as iodine,barium,and tantalum,can achieve inherent traceability and monitor the real-time location of embolic agent within body,providing timely information feedback to physicians.As the first part of the topic,this paper makes a comprehensive review about the recent advances in solid embolic agents(focusing on embolic microspheres),aiming to promote the development of this scientific research field.

Being a minimally-invasive procedure,transcatheter arterial embolization can treat tumors and vascular diseases by obstructing the lesion s blood vessels.Embolic agents have been constantly developed so as to meet the requirements in clinical practice.Compared with solid embolic agents,liquid embolic agents and new-type liquid-solid phase conversion type embolic agents have more unique physicochemical properties,which,theoretically,are capable of occluding all the fine vascular branches at the target site.Besides,the microrobot drugs emerging in recent years can be delivered to lesion sites that are difficult to reach in the human body by using multiple external driving sources(such as sound,light,magnetic,etc.),which is of a great advantage in embolization therapy.As the second part of the topic,this paper makes a comprehensive review about the research achievements in embolic equipment,liquid embolic agents and liquid-solid phase conversion type embolic agents,and discusses their characteristics,advantages,clinical application prospects and their shortcomings,aiming to promote the development of this scientific research field.