https://www.selleckchem.com/products/qnz-evp4593.html Zhongyi paste is a traditional Chinese medicine herbal paste that is externally applied to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. An acute foot swelling inflammation model in C57BL/6J mice was established by carrageenan-induced pathogenesis. Zhongyi paste raised the pain threshold and also reduced the degree of swelling in mice with carrageenan-induced foot swelling. Analysis indicated that serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE ) cytokine levels and PGE levels in the paw tissue of the mice were decreased by Zhongyi paste treatment. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot results showed that Zhongyi paste downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and also downregulated the mRNA expression of PGE . At the same time, the Zhongyi paste exerted a stronger effect as an external drug than that of indomethacin, which is an oral drug, and voltaren, which is an externally applied drug. Our results indicated that Zhongyi paste is a very effective drug to reduce inflammatory swelling of the foot, and its mechanism of action is related to regulation of the ERK1/2-COX-2-PGE pathway. Our results indicated that Zhongyi paste is a very effective drug to reduce inflammatory swelling of the foot, and its mechanism of action is related to regulation of the ERK1/2-COX-2-PGE2 pathway.Neonatal life marks the apogee of murine thymic growth. Over the first few days after birth, growth slows and the murine thymus switches from fetal to adult morphology and function; little is known about the cues driving this dramatic transition. In , we show for the first time (to our knowledge) the critical role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on thymic morphogenesis beyond its well-known role in angiogenesis. During a brief window a few days after birth, VEGF inhibition induced rapid and pro