RESUMO
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） is one of the most common chronic diseases of the respiratory system in the clinic. The disease has a long course and is difficult to cure， which seriously threatens human health. Airway mucus hypersecretion （AMH） is an independent risk factor for COPD and has a significant impact on the development and prognosis of the disease. The review finds that the abnormal proliferation of goblet cells and the excessive secretion of mucin are the direct causes of AMH. The pathogenesis of AMH may be closely related to the inhalation of heterogeneous particles， airway inflammation， the imbalance of mucin/water salt ratio， and the regulation of related signaling pathways. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） believes that AMH of COPD belongs to the category of lung distension with phlegm-fluid retention syndrome， and the disease is mainly treated from phlegm on the basis of lung distension. This article summarizes the relevant research in the field of TCM in recent years and finds that the single TCM that effectively intervened AMH of COPD is mainly phlegm-resolving TCM， and the main active ingredients of TCM are flavonoids， terpenoids， phenols， and alkaloids. The main TCM compounds are mainly designed to remove heat-phlegm， warmly resolve cold-phlegm， dry dampness to eliminate phlegm， invigorate Qi， promote blood circulation and dispel phlegm， and invigorate lung， spleen， and kidney. Its mechanism of action may be direct inhibition or indirect inhibition of airway epithelial goblet cell metaplasia and mucin expression by inhibiting airway inflammation， regulating aquaporins to correct the imbalance of mucin/water salt ratio， and regulating signaling pathways， so as to reduce mucus oversecretion in COPD. However， there are still some problems. For example， the research mainly focuses on TCM compounds instead of the single TCM or its effective components. The research on the mechanism of action is not thorough enough， and the research results are not interoperable. The clinical transformation rate of basic research is insufficient. This article systematically reviews the research status of AMH in the treatment of COPD with TCM and puts forward some thoughts on the existing problems， so as to provide a reference for clinical rational medication and in-depth research.
RESUMO
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） is a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by persistent and often progressive airflow obstruction， including airway abnormalities （e.g.， bronchitis and bronchiolitis） and chronic respiratory symptoms （e.g.， dyspnea， cough， and expectoration）. It is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， the lung and large intestine are interior-exterior related. Therefore， COPD can be treated from both the lung and intestine by the methods of tonifying and invigorating lung， spleen， and kidney， dispelling phlegm， and expelling stasis. Gut microbiota plays a key role in human immunity， nerve， and metabolism and may act on COPD by affecting the structures and functions of lung and intestine tissue and regulating lung inflammation and immunity. TCM can restore the balance of gut microbiota， which is conducive to the recovery from COPD. For example， the treatment method of tonifying lung and invigorating kidney can regulate gut microbiota， alleviate pulmonary and intestinal injuries， and improve lung immunity. The treatment methods of dispelling phlegm and expelling stasis can regulate gut microbiota and reduce pulmonary inflammation. According to the TCM theory of lung and large intestine being interior-exterior related， this review elaborates on the connotation of TCM in the treatment of COPD by regulating gut microbiota， aiming to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of COPD via gut microbiota.