Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100010, China.
Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, 100032, China.
J Nanobiotechnology. 2024 Jan 3;22(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12951-023-02251-0.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a highly debilitating and fatal chronic lung disease that is difficult to cure clinically. IPF is characterized by a gradual decline in lung function, which leads to respiratory failure and severely affects patient quality of life and survival. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are believed to be important pathological mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of IPF, and the vicious cycle of NOX4-derived ROS, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and p38 MAPK in pulmonary fibrogenesis explains the ineffectiveness of single-target or single-drug interventions. In this study, we combined astragaloside IV (AS-IV) and ligustrazine (LIG) based on the fundamental theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) of "tonifying qi and activating blood" and loaded these drugs onto nanoparticles (AS_LIG@PPGC NPs) that were inhalable and could penetrate the mucosal barrier. Our results suggested that inhalation of AS_LIG@PPGC NPs significantly improved bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis by regulating the NOX4-ROS-p38 MAPK and NOX4-NLRP3 pathways to treat and prevent IPF. This study not only demonstrated the superiority, feasibility, and safety of inhalation therapy for IPF intervention but also confirmed that breaking the vicious cycle of ROS and the NLRP3 inflammasome is a promising strategy for the successful treatment of IPF. Moreover, this successful nanoplatform is a good example of the integration of TCM and modern medicine.
特发性肺纤维化(IPF)是一种高度致残和致命的慢性肺部疾病,临床上难以治愈。IPF 的特征是肺功能逐渐下降,导致呼吸衰竭,严重影响患者的生活质量和生存。氧化应激和慢性炎症被认为是 IPF 发病和进展的重要病理机制,NOX4 衍生的 ROS、NLRP3 炎性体激活和 p38MAPK 在肺纤维化中的恶性循环解释了单一靶点或单一药物干预的无效性。在这项研究中,我们基于中医“补气活血”的基本理论,将黄芪甲苷(AS-IV)和川芎嗪(LIG)结合起来,并将这些药物装载到可吸入且能穿透黏膜屏障的纳米颗粒(AS_LIG@PPGC NPs)上。我们的研究结果表明,吸入 AS_LIG@PPGC NPs 通过调节 NOX4-ROS-p38MAPK 和 NOX4-NLRP3 途径,显著改善博来霉素诱导的肺损伤和纤维化,从而治疗和预防 IPF。这项研究不仅证明了吸入疗法干预 IPF 的优越性、可行性和安全性,还证实了打破 ROS 和 NLRP3 炎性体的恶性循环是成功治疗 IPF 的一种有前途的策略。此外,这个成功的纳米平台是中医和现代医学结合的一个很好的例子。
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