Lan Chou-Chin, Hsieh Po-Chun, Huang Kuo-Liang, Yang Mei-Chen, Liu Guan-Ting, Kuo Chan-Yen, Tzeng I-Shiang, Wu Yao-Kuang
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei, Taiwan.
School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Jul 21;16:1631839. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1631839. eCollection 2025.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a leading cause of global mortality, significantly impairs health-related quality of life (HRQL). COPD is characterized by airway inflammation and lung tissue damage. Jing Si herbal tea (JSHT) has anti-inflammatory effects but has not been explored for treating COPD. This study investigated the potential of JSHT as an adjuvant therapy for COPD.
This study focused on patients with COPD in the exacerbation and stable phases. The control group received the standard treatment, and the JSHT group received the standard treatment plus JSHT. Both groups underwent HRQL assessments, blood tests, and cellular studies involving five different groups to assess the effect of JSHT on damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and inflammatory markers.
Among patients with exacerbations, the JSHT group showed significant improvements in HRQL, including reductions in cough, phlegm, chest tightness, breathlessness, sleep, and anxiety (all p < 0.05). Among patients with stable COPD, the JSHT group showed significant reductions in cough, phlegm, and breathlessness (all p < 0.05). Cellular studies on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated A549 cells demonstrated that JSHT effectively reduced the release of DAMPs such as HMGB1, FPR1, and extracellular ATP, and decreased the expression of inflammatory markers including pMAPK, pJNK, NF-kB, and cCaspase 3, and pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α post-LPS induction.
JSHT improved the HRQL in patients with COPD, both in stable and exacerbated states. Cellular models demonstrated a reduction in DAMPs and inflammation, suggesting the potential of JSHT as a therapeutic agent for COPD through modulation of inflammatory responses.
慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）是全球死亡的主要原因之一，严重损害健康相关生活质量（HRQL）。COPD的特征是气道炎症和肺组织损伤。静思花草茶（JSHT）具有抗炎作用，但尚未用于治疗COPD的研究。本研究探讨了JSHT作为COPD辅助治疗的潜力。
本研究聚焦于COPD急性加重期和稳定期的患者。对照组接受标准治疗，JSHT组接受标准治疗加JSHT。两组均进行HRQL评估、血液检查以及涉及五个不同组别的细胞研究，以评估JSHT对损伤相关分子模式（DAMPs）和炎症标志物的影响。
在急性加重期患者中，JSHT组在HRQL方面有显著改善，包括咳嗽、咳痰、胸闷、气短、睡眠和焦虑症状的减轻（均p < 0.05）。在稳定期COPD患者中，JSHT组的咳嗽、咳痰和气短症状显著减轻（均p < 0.05）。对脂多糖（LPS）刺激的A549细胞进行的细胞研究表明，JSHT能有效减少HMGB1、FPR1和细胞外ATP等DAMPs的释放，并降低LPS诱导后pMAPK、pJNK、NF-κB、cCaspase 3等炎症标志物以及IL-1、IL-6、IL-8和TNF-α等促炎细胞因子的表达。
JSHT改善了稳定期和急性加重期COPD患者的HRQL。细胞模型显示DAMPs和炎症反应减少，表明JSHT通过调节炎症反应具有作为COPD治疗药物的潜力。
