This paper summarized professor ZHANG Lei's experience in the treatment of sjögren syndrome （SS） from the perspective of "same form and disease of dryness and dampness". It is believed that both dryness and dampness are involved as the pathological factors of SS. The important pathogenesis is that dryness and dampness are of the same form and coexist in the disease， that is， dryness and dampness can transform into each other with the same form or be concurrent in the disease. The same form of dryness and dampness includes the dryness syndrome caused by dampness and the dampness syndrome caused by dryness， which can be treated with modified Wuling Powder （五苓散） and modified Ejiao Jizihuang Decoction （阿胶鸡子黄汤）， respectively. The disease of both dryness and dampness includes lung dryness with spleen dampness， stomach dryness with spleen dampness， liver dryness with spleen dampness， and kidney dryness with spleen dampness syndrome， which can be treated with modified Ganlu Beverage and Weijing Decoction（甘露饮合苇茎汤）， self-made Jianpi Yangyin Formula （健脾养阴方） with modifications， self-made Guqing Decoction and Jupi Zhishu Pill （谷青汤合橘皮枳术丸） with modifications， and Shenqi Pill and Linggui Zhugan Decoction （肾气丸合苓桂术甘汤） with modifications， respectively.

Depression is a common mental disorder in clinical practice， and it falls under the category of depression syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. In TCM， Qi depression is considered as the root cause of all depression syndromes. Qi depression can lead to blood stasis， which is a key cause of diseases due to depression syndrome. Therefore， treating stasis is an important therapeutic approach for depression syndrome. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， a representative herbal medicine for activating blood and removing stasis， is effective in activating blood， removing stasis， dredging meridians， and alleviating pain. Currently， it is primarily used in clinical practice to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases， such as neurasthenia， coronary heart disease， insomnia， and palpitations. The active components of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma are complex and exhibit a variety of pharmacological effects. These components include water-soluble salvianolic acids and lipid-soluble tanshinones. Modern pharmacological studies have proven that Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and its active components possess antioxidant， anti-inflammatory， anti-tumor， anti-fibrosis， and neuroprotective properties. In recent years， increasing attention has been paid to the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and its active components in treating depression. This paper systematically reviews the antidepressant mechanisms of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and its main active components from the regulation of monoamine neurotransmitters， the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis， neurotrophic factors， and neuroinflammation. In addition， this paper summarizes the clinical applications of the prescriptions containing Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in the treatment of depression， providing new insights for further research on the pharmacological mechanisms of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in treating depression.

ObjectiveTo decipher the mechanism of Wenxiao powder in alleviating corticosterone-induced depression-like behaviors in mice. MethodMale ICR mice were randomized into normal， model， paroxetine （20 mg·kg^-1）， and low- and high-dose （3.27， 6.54 g·kg^-1， respectively） Wenxiao powder groups. The mice in normal and model groups received equal volume of saline. Other groups except the normal group were injected with corticosterone subcutaneously 0.5 h after gavage to induce depression. Mice were tested for depression-like behaviors after drug administration. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was performed to measure the corticosterone content in the serum. Nissl staining was performed to observe the damage of hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to observe the expression of double cortin （DCX） in the dentate gyrus （DG） of the hippocampus. Western blot was employed to determine the expression of proteins in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）/tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB）/extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）/cAMP-response element-binding protein （CREB） pathway in the hippocampus. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed decreased sucrose preference rate， increased immobility time in the tail suspension test （P<0.01）， and reduced residence time in the central area of the open field and the total movement distance （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， the modeling elevated the corticosterone level in the serum （P<0.01）， decreased the volume and intensified the nuclear staining of hippocampal neurons in the DG area， reduced the expression of DCX in the DG area， and down-regulated the protein levels of BDNF， phosphorylated （p）-TrkB， p-ERK， and p-CREB in the hippocampus （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， low-dose Wenxiao powder improved the mouse behavivors in the sucrose preference， open field， and tail suspension tests （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and high-dose Wenxiao powder improved the behaviors in the sucrose preference and open field tests （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， Wenxiao powder lowered the serum corticosterone level （P<0.01） and recovered the structure and morphology of neurons with obvious nuclei and presence of Nissl bodies in the DG area of the hippocampus. Moreover， Wenxiao powder at both doses promoted the expression of DCX in the DG area， and high-dose Wenxiao powder up-regulated the protein levels of BDNF， p-TrkB， p-ERK， and p-CREB in the hippocampus （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionWenxiao powder can alleviate corticosterone-induced depression-like behaviors and promote neurogenesis in mice possibly by activating the BDNF/TrkB/ERK/CREB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Coptidis Rhizoma and Ophiopogonis Radix on renal tissue injury and epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway in rats with diabetic nephropathy （DN） and explore its possible mechanism of delaying DN. MethodThirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group （6 rats） and a model group （30 rats）. The model group was fed with a high-fat and high-sugar diet combined with streptozotocin （STZ） to establish a rat model of type 2 diabetes. After the successful preparation of the model， the rats were randomly divided into the model group， low， medium， and high dose groups of Coptidis Rhizoma and Ophiopogonis Radix （100， 200， 400 mg·kg^-1）， and metformin group （200 mg·kg^-1）. After administration， the levels of fasting blood glucose （FBG）， 24 h urine protein （24 h-UTP）， creatinine （SCr）， urea nitrogen （BUN）， and uric acid （UA） were detected. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of renal tissue in rats. Western blot and Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to detect the related protein expression of EGFR， PI3K， and Akt and their mRNA expression levels in the renal tissue of rats in each group. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the levels of FBG， SCr， BUN， UA， 24 h-UTP， and kidney index in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）， most renal tubular epithelial cells were necrotic， and the content of collagen in glomeruli was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the above indexes of rats in each administration group were improved to varying degrees. The FBG， SCr， BUN， UA， 24 h-UTP， and kidney index of rats in each dose group and metformin group were significantly decreased （P<0.01， P<0.05）. The necrosis degree of renal tubular epithelial cells was reduced， and the fibrosis area was decreased （P<0.01）. There related protein and mRNA expressions of EGFR， PI3K， and Akt were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionCoptidis Rhizoma and Ophiopogonis Radix can alleviate renal tissue injury in rats with DN， and their mechanism may be related to the regulation of the EGFR/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Bile acids not only play an important physiological role in regulating lipid metabolism,but also par-ticipate in the regulation of central nervous system.Numerous studies indicated that abnormal bile acid metabolism is closely related to depression,but the exact mechanism remains unclear.This study summarized the relationship between bile acid metabolism and depression and aimed to provide a new perspective for the study and treatment of depression.

OBJECTIVE To identify and classify the chemical components and components absorbed into blood of Sishen Pills u-sing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry.METHODS SD rats were divided into blank group and drug administration group.The rats in drug administration group were given water extract of Sishen Pills formula intragastrically,and blank and drug-containing plasma were collected respectively.A Hypersil GOLD VANQUISH column(2.1 mm×100 mm,1.9 μm)was used,with 0.1%formic acid water acetonitrile as the mobile phase,gradient elution,volume flow rate of 0.3 mL·min-1,and column temperature of 35℃.Electrospray ion source(ESI)with positive and negative ion scanning mode was used for chromatographic separation and mass spectrometry data acquisition.The chemical components of Sishen Pills were identi-fied by comparing the exact molecular mass,fragment ion information and relative retention time with the map of reference substance,matching with the self-established database and combining with literature reports.On this basis,the components absorbed into blood of Sishen Pills were analyzed by comparing the blank plasma and drug-containing plasma.RESULTS A total of 181 chemical compo-nents were identified from Sishen Pills,mainly including flavonoids,alkaloids,lignans and other components.A total of 49 prototype blood components were identified from the plasma samples,mainly including flavonoids,alkaloids and other components.CONCLU-SION A variety of chemical components in Sishen Pills and drug-containing plasma are comprehensively,accurately and quickly i-dentified,and all of them are assigned to the various medicinal materials in the prescription.This study provides reference for the qual-ity control,basic research on medicinal effect materials and clinical application of Sishen Pills.

ObjectiveTo investigate protective effect of Arctium lappa root aqueous extract （ALR-AE） on hydrochloric acid/ethanol （HCl/EtOH）-induced acute gastric ulcer in rats based on protein kinase B/nuclear transcription factor-κB （Akt/NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodRats were randomly divided into 5 groups， namely normal group， model group， ranitidine group （35 mg·kg^-1）， ALR-AE low dose group （50 mg·kg^-1， ALR-AE-L group） and ALR-AE high dose group （100 mg·kg^-1， ALR-AE-H group）. Different doses of ALR-AE were orally administered twice daily for three consecutive days before the animals were subjected to HCl/EtOH （60% ethanol in 150 mmol·L^-1 HCl） to induce acute gastric ulcer. For the gastric tissue samples， the ulcer surface was recorded by electronic imaging technique， and then the ulcer inhibition rate was calculated using ImageJ 1.8.0， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining were used to observe the pathological changes and mucoprotein distribution， respectively. The levels of oxidative stress factors of malondialdehyde （MDA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px） in rat gastric tissues were determined by colorimetric method， the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6） and IL-1β were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， protein levels of phosphorylation and non-phosphorylation of Akt， NF-κB p65， NF-κB inhibitor protein α （IκBα） and IκB kinase α （IKKα） were evaluated by Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the gastric tissue of the model group was severely damaged， and the area of gastric ulcer were significantly enlarged （P<0.01）， the levels of MDA， TNF-α， IL-6 and IL-1β in gastric tissue were significantly increased （P<0.01）， levels of GSH-Px and SOD were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and phosphorylation levels of Akt， NF-κB p65， IKKα and IκBα in gastric tissue were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， ALR-AE significantly attenuated HCl/EtOH-induced gastric tissue damage， significantly increased ulcer inhibition rate （P<0.01）， and dose-dependently reduced the levels of MDA， TNF-α， IL-6 and IL-1β （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and elevated GSH-Px and SOD levels （P<0.01）， ALR-AE-L group could significantly inhibit the phosphorylation levels of Akt （P<0.05）， and ALR-AE-H group could significantly inhibit phosphorylation levels of Akt， NF-κB p65， IKKα and IκBα （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionALR-AE has a significant protective effect on HCl/EtOH-induced acute gastric ulcers in rats， and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of inflammatory mediator expression and reduction of oxidative stress levels mediated by Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of protective effect of ethanol extracts of Hemsleya chinensis （HC-EE） on hydrochloric acid/ethanol （HCl/EtOH）-induced acute gastric ulcer in rats. MethodLipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced RAW264.7 cells were used to evaluate inhibitory effect of HC-EE on the production of inflammatory mediators in vitro. A rat acute gastric ulcer model induced by HCl/EtOH （60% ethanol in 150 mmol·L^-1 HCl） was used to evaluate protective effect of HC-EE on acute gastric ulcer. Rats were divided into five groups， including normal group， model group， HC-EE low dose （HC-EE 30， 30 mg·kg^-1） group， HC-EE high dose （HC-EE 60， 60 mg·kg^-1） group and ranitidine （35 mg·kg^-1） group. For model and drug-treated groups， vehicle solvent or drugs were orally administered twice daily for 7 consecutive days before the rats were subjected to HCl/EtOH to induce acute gastric ulcer. After being anesthetized， ulcer surface of each rat was obtained and recorded using electronic imaging technology， and the ulcer inhibition rate was calculated by ImageJ 1.8.0. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining were used to observe the pathological histological changes in rats. Content of nitric oxide （NO） in cell culture medium was measured by the Griess method. The levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， IL-6， vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1） and prostaglandin E₂ （PGE₂） in rat serum （or cell culture medium） were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein expressions of phosphorylation （p）-p38 mitogen activated protein kinase （MAPK）/p38 MAPK and p-nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB） p65/NF-κB p65 in rat gastric tissue were detected by Western blot. ResultIn vitro assay showed HC-EE could significantly down-regulate the expressions of NO， TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6 and VCAM-1 in LPS-induced cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In vivo experimental results showed that， compared with the normal group， gastric tissue of the model group was severely damaged， and the area of gastric ulcer was significantly enlarged， levels of TNF-α， IL-6 were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the level of PGE₂ was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， the phosphorylation levels of of p38 MAPK， NF-κB p65 in gastric tissue were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， HC-EE dose-dependently improved HCl/EtOH-induced gastric tissue injury and inflammatory cell infiltration， and it could increase ulcer inhibition rate， significantly decreased the release of TNF-α and IL-6 （P<0.01）， HC-EE 60 group could increase the content of PGE₂ （P<0.05）， and significantly inhibit the phosphorylation levels of p38 MAPK and NF-κB p65 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionHC-EE can exert protective effect on HCl/EtOH-induced acute gastric ulcer in rats， and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of expression of inflammatory mediators mediated by p38 MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility of ethyl acetate fraction of Ipomoea muricatum （IM-EA） in the prevention and treatment of alcoholic gastric ulcer （GU） and explore its mechanism of action based on network pharmacology and experimental verification. MethodForty SD rats were randomly divided into a control group， a model group， a ranitidine group （2.7 mg·kg^-1）， and low- and high-dose IM-EA groups （30，60 mg·kg^-1） after adaptive feeding for 7 days. The GU model was replicated by hydrochloric acid in absolute ethanol （150 mmol·L^-1） in rats after prophylactic administration for one week. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining were used to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of IM-EA in the prevention and treatment of GU. Lead compounds of IM-EA were screened out by ADMET， and the SwissTarget platform was used to identify the potential targets for these compounds. GU-related targets were collected through DisGeNET， OMIM， and GeneCards databases， which were mapped to potential IM-EA targets to obtain the potential targets of IM-EA against GU. The STRING database was used to construct the protein-protein interaction （PPI） network to screen the hub targets， and the DAVID platform was used to annotate the biological functions of common targets to explore the underlying mechanism of IM-EA against GU. Autodock Vina software was used for the preliminary verification of the computer simulation. The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α and interleukin （IL）-6 and the content of prostaglandin E₂ （PGE₂）， matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， and superoxide dismutase （SOD） in the gastric tissues were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The relative expression levels of core proteins in the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， such as Jun oncoprotein， extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）， and p38， in the gastric tissues were detected by Western blot. ResultAs revealed by the results of animal experiments， compared with the control group， the model group showed significantly damaged gastric tissues and reduced secretion of gastric mucus. Compared with the model group， the groups with drug intervention showed reduced ulcer areas in the gastric tissues （P<0.01） and improved gastric histopathological status and gastric mucus secretion， suggesting that IM-EA was effective in the prevention and treatment of GU. Sixteen lead compounds of IM-EA were screened out by ADMET， and 257 potential targets of IM-EA against GU were obtained. The hub nodes in the PPI network included targets of TNF-α， protein kinase B1 （Akt1）， tumor protein 53 （TP53）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， and ERK. Biological functional annotation and molecular docking results suggested that the MAPK signaling pathway potentially played a key role in the prevention and treatment of GU by IM-EA， which was synergistic with the vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） signaling pathway， phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）/Akt signaling pathway， and nuclear factor （NF）-κB signaling pathway in anti-inflammation， anti-oxidation， and damage repair. The pharmacological experiment results showed that compared with the control group， the model group showed increased serum IL-6 content （P<0.01）， an increasing trend of TNF-α content， increased MMP-9 content in the gastric tissues （P<0.01）， and decreased SOD content （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the IM-EA groups showed decreased TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the serum and PGE₂ and MMP-9 levels in the gastric tissues （P<0.01）， and increased SOD content in the gastric tissues （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， the model group showed up-regulated expression of p-p38， p-Jun， and p-ERK in the gastric tissues （P<0.01） and up-regulated p38 and Jun （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the IM-EA groups showed down-regulated p-p38， p-Jun， p-ERK， and p38 in the gastric tissues （P<0.01） and up-regulated relative expression of Jun and ERK （P<0.05）. ConclusionIM-EA has a remarkable effect in the prevention and treatment of alcoholic gastric injury， which may be achieved through the mechanisms of anti-inflammation， anti-oxidation， and wound repair mediated by the MAPK signaling pathway.

Depression， a mental disorder with high incidence， threatens people's health and causes heavy economic burden. In recent years， the research on the pathogenesis of depression is no longer limited to neurotransmitters， hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis， and oxidative stress， and neuroinflammation draws increasing attention. Studies have demonstrated that the NOD-like receptor family， pyrin domain-containing 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome as a bridge connecting psychological stress and depression can initiate inflammatory cascade to induce depression. This article expounds the relationship between NLRP3 inflammasome and depression and introduces the mechanisms and targets of NLRP3 inflammasome in regulating depression. Further， we summarize the research progress in the treatment of depression with traditional Chinese medicine， which regulates NLRP3 inflammasomes to reduce the release of inflammatory cytokines. This review is expected to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of depression.