An Overview of Herbal Medicines for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung scarring condition with the histological characteristic of typical interstitial pneumonia. Injury to alveolar epithelial cells is a critical precursor in the pathogenesis of this disease. The prevalence of IPF is growing exponentially, with substantial morbidity and mortality rates increasing the burden on economic healthcare costs. A multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis is used to rule out the alternative causes of interstitial lung disease. Pirfenidone and nintedanib, two innovative antifibrotic medicines introduced in recent years, have provided therapeutic benefits to many IPF patients, and several IPF medications are in the early phases of clinical trials. However, available medications can cause unpleasant symptoms such as nausea and diarrhoea. More efforts have been made to uncover alternative treatments towards a more personalised patient-centred care and hence improve the outcomes in the IPF patients. Through a multi-level and multi-target treatment approach, herbal medicines, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), have been identified as revolutionary medical treatment for IPF. Due to their natural properties, herbal medicines have shown to possess low adverse effects, stable therapeutic impact, and no obvious drug dependencies. Herbal medicines have also shown anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects, which make them a promising therapeutic target for IPF. A growing number of formulas, herbal components, and various forms of Chinese herbal medicine extracts are available for IPF patients in China. This review summarises the role of herbal medicines in the prevention and treatment of IPF.

Inhaled nano-based therapeutics for pulmonary fibrosis: recent advances and future prospects

“…In studies for the treatment of PF, natural medicines such as herbs have shown low adverse effects, stable anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic therapeutic effects and no significant drug dependence due to their natural properties. This makes them a promising therapeutic target for PF [ 42 ]. Jiang et al [ 43 ] took advantages of the ball milling technique to prepare a salvianolic acids dry powder inhalation complex with l -arginine and lecithin.…”

Network pharmacology and in silico approaches to uncover multitargeted mechanism of action of Zingiber zerumbet rhizomes for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

“…5 Hence, there is a need to discover new drugs for IPF and the most recent trends in literature for herbal products with multitargeted approaches. [6][7][8] The network pharmacology tools are used to interpret Chinese traditional drugs for their mechanistic activity in IPF, such as Fei-Xian Formula, 9 Qingfei oral liquid, 10 Baofeikang Granules, 11 Astragalus Polysaccharide, 12 Isorhynchophylline, 13 and Platycodon grandiflorum. 14 The major pharmacological activity of these drugs is inhibiting TGF-β, multi-targeted molecular modulation of inflammation and antioxidant.…”

Editorial on Special Issue “Natural Products for Drug Discovery and Development”

“…This collection of studies encompasses two review papers that delve into distinct research areas. The first review paper examines the potential therapeutic application of herbal medicines, specifically Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in the context of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive pulmonary disorder characterized by fibrotic lung tissue [1]. The review highlights the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties of herbal medicines, shedding light on their potential as a promising therapeutic target for IPF.…”