Cordyceps Mycelium Extract for Treatment of Lung Disease

Pulmonary fibrosis is a major category of end-stage changes of lung diseases characterized by fibroblast proliferation and accumulation of a large number of extracellular matrix accompanied by inflammatory damage and tissue structure destruction, that is, abnormal repair of normal alveolar tissue after damage leads to structural abnormalities (scar formation). The vast majority of patients with pulmonary fibrosis have unknown causes (idiopathic), and this group of diseases is called idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), which is a major category of interstitial lung disease. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious interstitial lung disease that can lead to progressive loss of lung function. Pulmonary fibrosis seriously affects the human respiratory function, manifested as dry cough, progressive dyspnea (conscious of insufficient qi), and with the aggravation of the disease and lung damage, the patient's respiratory function continues to deteriorate. The incidence and mortality of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis increase year by year, the average survival time after diagnosis is only 2.8 years, the mortality rate is higher than most tumors, known as a "tumor-like disease".

When lung damage is caused by a variety of reasons, the interstitium will secrete collagen for repair. If excessive repair, that is, excessive proliferation of fibroblasts and large accumulation of extracellular matrix, pulmonary fibrosis will be formed. Air pollution, smoking, viral and bacterial infections, and genetic problems can all cause damage to the lungs, which can lead to pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis occurs mostly at the age of 40 to 50, with more men than women. Dyspnea is the most common symptom of pulmonary fibrosis. In mild pulmonary fibrosis, dyspnea often occurs during strenuous activity, so it is often overlooked or misdiagnosed as another disease. When pulmonary fibrosis progresses, dyspnea also occurs at rest, and progressive dyspnea can occur in patients with severe pulmonary fibrosis. Other symptoms include a dry cough and fatigue. Some patients have clubbing fingers and cyanosis. Fibrosis is a serious consequence of lung tissue, resulting in structural changes in normal lung tissue and loss of function. When a large amount of fibrotic tissue with no gas exchange function replaces the alveoli, oxygen cannot enter the blood. Patients with dyspnea, hypoxia, acidosis, loss of labor force, and severe cases can eventually lead to death.

The treatment is mainly divided into drug therapy and non-drug therapy. At present, only the western medicine pirfenidone is available in China. Pirfenidone has high drug cost and side effects, and the effect of slowing disease progression is not ideal, so pirfenidone treatment is not recommended in IPF treatment guidelines. The main non-drug treatment is oxygen therapy. ② Mechanical ventilation. ③ Pulmonary rehabilitation. ④ Lung transplantation. It can be seen that Western medicine does not have a good way to prevent and reverse pulmonary fibrosis.

Traditional Chinese medicine has a unique effect on the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Cordyceps sinensis, a rare Chinese herb in traditional Chinese medicine, enters the lung and kidney, and is used clinically to treat a variety of lung diseases. Using artificial cordyceps powder (mycelium of Trichospora bati) as raw material, through the extraction and concentration of its effective ingredients, its main effective ingredients are ten times that of natural cordyceps sinensis, and the effect is better, but the price is only one-tenth of that of natural Cordyceps sinensis.

A research team led by Professor Hou Yayi of Nanjing University found that The expression of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-1β and fibrotic factors TGF-β1, TIMP1 and MMP9 in lung tissue were significantly decreased by mycelium extract, and the inflammatory lesions in lung tissue were significantly improved, while the expression of α-SMA and fibronection in lung and interstitial tissue were significantly weakened. The mycelium extract of Cordyceps sinensis has the function of regulating immunity and improving pulmonary fibrosis, and the mechanism of improving pulmonary fibrosis was revealed for the first time. Conclusion The mycelium extract of Trichospora bataria has the functions of inhibiting inflammation, balancing immunity and alleviating pulmonary fibrosis.