ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which Xiebai San regulates respiratory tract and intestinal mucosal immunity in rats with allergic asthma. MethodsForty male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups based on body weight: control group, model group, positive control group, and Xiebai San group. The model group, positive control group, and Xiebai San group were sensitized with ovalbumin to establish a rat model of allergic asthma. From day 21 (the aerosol challenge phase), each group received daily gavage interventions simultaneously: the positive control group was administered dexamethasone (0.068 mg/kg), the Xiebai San group received Xiebai San solution (2 g/mL, 11.3 mL/kg), while the control and model groups were given an equal volume of normal saline, once daily for 14 consecutive days. After euthanasia, lung and intestinal tissues were collected. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe histopathological changes. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to examine tissue ultrastructure. Immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the positive reaction areas of phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (Akt) proteins. Total protein and total RNA were extracted from lung and intestinal tissues, then the protein and mRNA expression levels of PI3K and Akt genes were detected by Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. ResultsHistopathological results showed alveolar emphysema accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration, and intestinal mucosal injury with inflammatory cell infiltration in the model group as compared with the control group; the cellular structure of lung tissues was disrupted in the model group, with reduced organelles, while the ultrastructural lesions in the intestine were relatively mild. Compared with the model group, Xiebai San group exhibited milder pathological changes in lung tissues, with occasional alveolar wall damage and a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration; the intestinal mucosal structure was improved, glands were arranged regularly, and pathological changes such as tissue loosening and inflammatory infiltration were alleviated; the cellular structure of lung tissues was relatively intact with reduced severity of lesions, and no ultrastructural pathological changes were observed in intestinal tissues. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting results showed that compared with the control group, the specific positive reaction areas of PI3K and Akt in lung and intestinal tissues were significantly increased in the model group (all P<0.001); meanwhile, the protein expression levels of PI3K and Akt were significantly upregulated (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the positive area of Akt protein in lung tissue was significantly reduced in the Xiebai San group (P<0.001), and the positive area of PI3K in intestinal tissue was also significantly decreased (P<0.000 1). Additionally, the protein expression levels of PI3K and Akt in lung and intestinal tissues were significantly downregulated (all P<0.01). Real-time quantitative PCR results showed that compared with the control group, the mRNA expression levels of PI3K and Akt genes in lung and intestinal tissues were significantly elevated in the model group (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the mRNA expression levels of PI3K and Akt genes in lung and intestinal tissues were significantly reduced in the Xiebai San group (all P<0.05). ConclusionXiebai San exerts protective effects on rats with allergic asthma by inhibiting the expression of key nucleic acids and proteins in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in lung and intestinal tissues, improving the morphological structure of lung tissue, and maintaining intestinal mucosal integrity, and regulating intestinal mucosal immune function.

Objective To explore the possible mechanism of Xiebaisan in protecting against allergic asthma in rats from the perspective of host intestinal flora metabolism.Methods SPF SD rats were divided into normal group(NC group),model group(M group),and Xiebaisan group.The allergic asthma rat model was established by ovalbumin.Changes in lung histopathology were observed by HE staining.Colon contents were harvested for 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing to assess changes in the intestinal flora structure and function.Serum and lung tissue samples were collected for non-targeted metabolomics by Ultra-high performance liquid-time-of-flight mass spectrometer.Results HE staining showed some improvement of lung histomorphology in asthmatic rats in the Xiebaisan group compared with that in the M group.16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing showed that the diversity of intestinal flora was decreased in the M group and increased in the Xiebaisan group compared with the M group,the microecosystem of intestinal was improved.Non-targeted metabolomics of serum showed regulation of amino acid metabolism and the mTOR pathway in the Xiebaisan group,and partially reversed differential metabolite expression in the M group.Non-targeted metabonomics of lung tissue samples showed regulation of carbon metabolism,vascular smooth muscle and cAMP signaling pathways in the Xiebaisan group,and partially reversed differential metabolite expression in the M group.Conclusions The protective effects of Xiebaisan on allergic asthma in rats may be related to improvement of the morphological structure of lung tissue,the diversity of intestinal flora,and regulation of mTOR,vascular smooth muscle contraction,and cAMP pathways,which affect amino acid and carbon metabolism.

Inflammation， the basic pathological process of many diseases， can occur in various tissues and organs of the body and cause many diseases including cancer. So far， there are thousands of anti-inflammatory drugs on the market， but most of these drugs have adverse reactions of gastrointestinal injury， and can even cause greater damage to the body. In recent years， the research on the repurpose of Chinese medicine is in the ascendant， and the innovative research on the specific antimalarial drug artemisinin has attracted extensive attention from scholars in China and abroad. Artesunate is a water-soluble derivative of artemisinin， which has the characteristics of quick effect and low toxicity. In addition to its significant therapeutic effect on malaria， artesunate also has a potential anti-inflammatory effect. In this review， the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of artesunate were elaborated in detail by consulting the relevant literature. It was found that artesunate had good anti-inflammatory effects in the respiratory system， liver injury， osteoarthritis， dermatitis， kidney inflammation， colitis， neuroinflammation， and even in novel coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19）. It was concluded that artesunate mainly participated in apoptotic signal transduction， mediated immune regulation， and improved oxidative stress to play an anti-inflammatory role by acting on nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）， Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）/tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 （TRAF6）， high mobility group box 1 （HMGB1）/receptor for advanced glycation endproduct （RAGE）， and other pathways. Through the review of the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of artesunate， it is expected to provide a reference for the application of artesunate in inflammation resistance and further development and utilization of artesunate in the future.

OBJECTIVE To study the absorbed components of Xiebai powder in blood. METHODS UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS method was adopted. SD rats were randomly divided into blank group and administration group ，with 10 rats in each group. Blank group was given water intragastrically ，and administration groups were given 2 g/mL（by the amount of crude drug ）Xiebai powder solution intragastrically. Administration volume was 11.3 mL/kg，twice a day for 3 days. One point five hours after last administration，blood was taken from the abdominal aorta of each rat ，the serum was processed to obtain the supernatant for analysis；the relevant data in positive and negative ion mode were collected ，and the absorbed components of Xiebai powder in blood were analyzed and identified by using self-built secondary mass spectrometry database and consulting the relevant literature. RESULTS Totally 17 components from Xiebai powder were identified ，among which 6 components came from sovereign Moru salba，7 from minister Cortex Lycii ，12 from assistant Glycyrrhiza uralensis ，i.e. kukoamine A ，chlorogenic acid ，tachiogroside B，astringin，neoglycyrrhizin，glycyrrhizin，azelaic acid ，isoglycyrrhizin，glycyroside，anthocyanin，sebacic acid ，parthenolide， anthocyanin，18β-glycyrrhetinic acid ，6-gingerol，palmitoamide，erucamide. These compounds were mainly flavonoids ，alkaloids and organic acids. CONCLUSIONS In this study ，17 absorbed components of Xiebai powder in blood are preliminarily determined，which are consistent with the effect of Xiebai powder. They may be the pharmacodynamic substances of Xiebai powder.

Malaria is a serio us and life-threatening infectious disease that has a profound impact on human life. Artemisinin is still the first-line drug for clinical antimalarial treatment recommended by the World Health Organization. The antimalarial activity of artemisinin is mainly reflected in the peroxide bridge structure. Artemisinin-based combination therapy （ACT）is the first-line treatment for malaria in many countries. ACT mainly include artemether-lumefantrine ，artesunate-amodiaquine and dihydroartemisinin- piperaquine，etc. Compared with artemisinin monotherapy ，ACT has the advantages of shortening the length of hospital stay ， speeding up parasite clearance ，and saving economic costs ，etc. However ，there are still problems such as drug resistance. This article reviews the application status ，advantages and disadvantages of ACT at home and abroad in recent years ，in order to provide ideas for the subsequent screening of long-acting adjuvant antimalarial drugs in ACT and to solve the problem of drug resistance.

Objective To investigate the effect of hirudo micropowder on inflammatory factors in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.Methods Rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group,coarse powder hirudo group,high-,middle-and low-dose micropowder hirudo groups.The corresponding drugs were given to the rats for 10 days by intragastric administration.Then middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) model was made by suture method.The changes of inflammatory factors were observed.Results The level of intercellular adhesion molecule 1(ICAM-1) in high-dose micropowder hirudo group was lower than that in coarse powder hirudo group,and the level of platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF) in middle-and high-dose micropowder hirudo groups was also lower than that in coarse powder hirudo group obviously(P