Research Progress of Mechanism on Invigorating Qi and Activating Blood Circulation in the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

ABSTRACT

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)is a chronic and fatal interstitial lung disease that poses a serious threat to human health and life,and currently there is no specific treatment for it except lung transplantation.The theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)holds that Qi deficiency and blood stasis are the critical pathogenesis of IPF,so the therapy of invigorating Qi and activating blood circulation is established as the important method for the treatment of IPF.Studies have found that the prescriptions for invigorating Qi and activating blood have definite efficacy in improving the clinical symptoms of patients with IPF and delaying the progression of the disease.Based on its clinical effectiveness,a large number of researches have been carried out on the relevant mechanism of invigorating Qi and activating blood circulation in the treatment of IPF in recent years.In this paper,we systematically reviewed the relevant literature,and made a review on the mechanism of Qi-invigorating and blood-activating therapy in the treatment of IPF from the aspects inhibiting inflammation,improving the metabolism of extracellular matrix,intervening epithelial/endothelial-mesenchymal transformation,resisting oxidative stress,reducing angiogenesis,activating cellular autophagy,regulating immune balance and fibrinolytic activity,so as to reveal the scientific connotation of Qi-invigorating and blood-activating therapy and provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of this therapy in the treatment of IPF.