Therapeutic potential of traditional Chinese medicine for interstitial lung disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a chronic lung dysfunction disease with a poor prognosis and poor recovery. The clinically used therapeutic drugs, such as glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants, have no significant therapeutic effect and are accompanied with severe side effects. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in exploring and applying natural herb components for treating ILD. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) possesses innate, non-toxic characteristics and offers advantages in preventing and treating pulmonary ailments. However, a comprehensive study of TCM on ILD therapy has not yet been reviewed.

This review aimed to provide a comprehensive summary of the monomer components, total extracts, and prescriptions of TCM for ILD therapy, elucidating their molecular mechanisms to serve as a reference in treating ILD.

The literature information was searched in the PubMed, Web of Science databases. The search keywords included 'interstitial lung disease', 'lung fibrosis' or 'pulmonary fibrosis', and 'traditional Chinese medicine', 'traditional herbal medicine', or 'herb medicine'.

The active components of single herbs, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, and quinones, have potential therapeutic effects on ILD. The active extracts and prescriptions were also summarized and analyzed. The herbs, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (Gancao), Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. Bunge. (Huangqi) and Angelicasinensis (Oliv.) Diels (Danggui), play significant roles in the treatment of ILD. The mechanisms involve the inhibition of inflammatory factor release, anti-oxidative injury, and interference with collagen production, etc. CONCLUSION: This review examines the therapeutic potential of TCM for ILD and elucidates its molecular mechanisms, demonstrating that mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress, modulating the immune system, and promoting tissue repair are efficacious strategies for ILD therapy. The depth research will yield both theoretical and practical implications.