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N-acetyl-chitooligosaccharide (NACOS), prepared from the shells of shrimp and crabs, has displayed various biological activities. As prebiotics and dietary supplements, these bioactive materials can be incorporated into functional foods and beverages. This study aimed to explore the anti-inflammatory effects and associated mechanism of NACOS in macrophages. We found that NACOS reduced the levels of inflammation-related cytokines in lipopolysaccharide stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. NACOS attenuated NF-κB activation not only through the repressed IKK phosphorylation but also the blunted nuclear translocation of NF-κB subunit p65. Additionally, NACOS inhibited the level of p-JNK. Moreover, NACOS promoted NLRP3 degradation, accompanied by the blockade of caspase-1 activation and IL-1β maturation in human THP-1 cells. This study demonstrated for the first time that NACOS has a negative effect against NLRP3 protein and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. It was suggested that the pharmacological intervention of inflammatory responses by NACOS should be a promising approach against inflammation-related clinical complications.

Objective The theory of lung being connected with large intestine, which is a major topic in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has guided clinical practice for thousands of years in China. Methods In this study, we analyzed the history, main contents, clinical application, and material basis of the theory, to attempt to improve the potential clinical significance of “lung being connected with large intestine” in China. Results The lung being connected with large intestine was first described in “Huang Di Nei Jing”, and formed one of the basic theories of TCM. For thousands of years, the majority of TCM practitioners explored this theory continuously, leading to its development and use as an important theory in the guidance of TCM clinics In the last decade, researchers in the field of integrated TCM and Western medicine have studied clinical applications and biomedical mechanisms with experimental methods to explore the implications of the theory. Conclusion With the further development of science and technology, research concerning the theory of lung being connected with large intestine will be greatly stimulated and contribute to the modernization of TCM.

In the recent years, a wide range of metabonomic technologies are widely used in the modern research of traditional chinese medicine (TCM). At present, the most prevailing methods for TCM research are mainly nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). With these techniques, metabonomics will help to understand syndromes, efficacy and toxicity of TCM. However, every analytical technique has its advantages and drawbacks, and there exist some obstacles of its applications on TCM. So, we discuss metabonomics in TCM and analyze some problems of its applications to study TCM in recent years. We believe that with the further development of metabonomic analytical technology, especially multianalysed techniques, metabonomics will greatly promote TCM research and be beneficial to the modernization of TCM.