Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening clinical syndrome with high morbidity and mortality. The main pathological features of ALI are increased alveolar-capillary membrane permeability, edema, uncontrolled migration of neutrophils to the lungs, and diffuse alveolar damage, resulting in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Glucocorticoids, aspirin, and other anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used to treat ALI. Respiratory supports, such as a ventilator, are used to alleviate hypoxemia. Many treatment methods are available, but they cannot significantly ameliorate the quality of life of patients with ALI and reduce mortality rates. Herbal active ingredients, such as flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, alkaloids, and quinonoids, exhibit advantages for ALI prevention and treatment, but the underlying mechanism needs further study. This paper summarizes the role of herbal active ingredients in anti-ALI therapy and progresses in the understanding of their mechanisms. The work also provides some references and insights for the discovery and development of novel drugs for ALI prevention and treatment.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Owing to its high incidence and mortality, the development and discovery of novel anticancer drugs is of great importance. In recent years, many breakthroughs have been achieved in the search for effective anticancer substances from natural products. Many anticancer drugs used clinically and proven to be effective are derived from natural products. Quinonoids, including naphthoquinones, phenanthrenequinones, benzoquinones, and anthraquinones, constitute a large group of natural bioactive compounds that widely exist in higher and lower plant species. Given that most of these compounds possess anticancer effects, they are applied in many cancer studies, especially in lung cancer research. They can promote apoptosis, induce autophagy, and inhibit proliferation, angiogenesis, and cell invasion and migration. Some drugs can enhance anticancer effects when combined with other drugs. Thus, quinonoids have broad application prospects in the treatment of lung cancer. Here, we summarize the previous studies on the antilung cancer activities of quinonoids together with their underlying mechanisms and analyze the common research targets with different effects so as to provide references for the discovery of quinonoids against lung cancer.

Mucus hypersecretion is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is associated with increasing sputum production and declining pulmonary function. Therefore, reducing mucus secretion can be a new therapeutic opportunity for preventing COPD. The Guifu Dihuang pill (GFDHP) is a classical Chinese medicine and has been used as an immunoregulator for treatment of kidney yang deficiency syndrome, including hypothyroidism, adrenocortical hypofunction, chronic bronchitis, and COPD, for more than 2000 years. However, the protective effects and mechanisms of GFDHP against mucus hypersecretion in COPD remain obscure. The aim of the present study was to explore the inhibitory effects of GFDHP on lipopolysaccharide/cigarette smoke- (LPS/CS-) induced Mucin5ac (Muc5ac) overproduction and airway goblet cell hyperplasia in mice. The mice were randomly assigned into 6 groups: control, model, GFDHP-L, GFDHP-M, GFDHP-H, and dexamethasone. The mice were given LPS twice through intranasal inhalation and then exposed to CS daily for 6 weeks. Three doses of GFDHP were orally administered daily during the last 3 weeks of the experiment. Pulmonary function was examined with an EMKA pulmonary system, and pulmonary hyperpermeability and lung damage were evaluated with an in vivo imaging system. Inflammatory cells and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were detected with a cell count analyzer and though ELISA analysis, respectively. Lung pathological changes and airway goblet cell hyperplasia were analyzed with hematoxylin and eosin and Alcian blue periodic acid Schiff staining. The protein expression levels of Muc5ac and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-specificity protein1 (SP1) signaling pathway were measured with Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrated that GFDHP improved pulmonary function and suppressed mouse pulmonary hyperpermeability and edema. GFDHP suppressed inflammatory cell infiltration and cytokine release in BALF, thereby elevating pulmonary function. It ameliorated lung pathological changes and airway goblet cell hyperplasia, and suppressed expression levels of Muc5ac mRNA and protein and phospho-ERK and SP1 levels in the lung tissues of the COPD mice. In conclusion, GFDHP inhibited mucus hypersecretion induced by LPS/CS by suppressing the activation of the ERK-SP1 pathway.

Introduction A recent study confirmed that thiolutin (THL), as a potent inflammasome inhibitor, plays a promising therapeutic role in multiple inflammatory disease models. However, the effect of THL on psoriasis has not been reported so far. Methods A psoriasiform dermatitis model was prepared by applying 5% imiquimod (IMQ) cream on mice. A total of 36 mice were randomly divided into six groups: control, model, model + THL‐L/M/H (THL, 1/2.5/5 mg/kg/day), model + methotrexate (1 mg/kg/day). Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores were observed and calculated. The histological changes in skin, liver, and kidney tissues were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and blood creatinine were measured by automatic biochemistry analyzer. The size of the spleens was determined, and the proportion of Foxp3 + CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in the spleens was tested by flow cytometry. The proinflammatory factors and nucleotide oligomerization domain nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)‐like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome protein levels were examined by reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results THL administration preeminently reduced the thickness, scaling, and erythema of the skin lesions, alleviated IMQ‐induced psoriasiform lesions in mice, reduced the PASI score, and ameliorated histopathological changes in mouse skin. The spleen index was decreased by almost half and the proportion of Foxp3 + CD4+ Treg cells was increased after intervention by THL. THL intervention did not affect liver and kidney function, but decreased the expression levels of proinflammatory factors and NLRP3 inflammasome in the skin of psoriatic mice. Conclusions THL may alleviate IMQ‐induced psoriasis‐like manifestations in mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome.