Chinese Medicine Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Regulating Th1/Th2 Immune Balance： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） is characterized by long treatment course and poor prognosis. The pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated but is mostly related to the non-specific inflammation of the airway and surrounding tissues. T helper 1 （Th1） and T helper 2 （Th2） are generated by CD4+ T cell differentiation， and are in a dynamic equilibrium when the body is in normal state. The balance between pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines regulated by Th1/Th2 is vital for maintaining the immune homeostasis in respiratory tract. Chronic inflammatory state changes the level of inflammatory cells in the body， and there is immune disorder in T lymphocytes in the onset stage of COPD. Th1 cells are predominantly expressed in the stable stage of COPD， while Th2 cells are predominantly expressed in the acute exacerbations of COPD （AECOPD）. Th1/Th2 immune imbalance aggravates the inflammatory reaction， and thus restoring the immune balance between them and inhibiting the inflammatory reaction are critical for the treatment of COPD. At present， there has been no satisfactory treatment plan for COPD. Chinese medicine has a long history of preventing and treating COPD， with remarkable curative effect and few adverse reactions. A large number of animal experiments and clinical studies on Chinese medicine intervention of Th1/Th2 immune balance in COPD have indicated that Th1/Th2 immune balance is an important potential target for treating COPD by Chinese medicine， which can correct chronic inflammatory state by regulating the immune disorder of the body. It has also been found that Th1/Th2 balance plays an important immunoregulatory role in inflammatory response， but little is known about its specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of COPD. On this basis， this paper summarized and analyzed the biological characteristics of Th1/Th2 and their mechanism in the pathogenesis of COPD， as well as the intervention effect of single Chinese medicine or its effective components and Chinese medicine compound on Th1/Th2 immune balance in COPD. It further explored the pathogenesis of COPD and the potential therapeutic targets of Chinese medicine in interfering with Th1/Th2 immune balance in COPD， providing reference for further study on prevention and treatment of COPD with Chinese medicine.