基于细胞因子风暴理论探讨中药在病毒性肺炎中的应用

Application of Traditional Chinese Medicine to Viral Pneumonia Based on Cytokine Storm Theory

新型冠状病毒疫情仍在全球持续蔓延扩散,对其重症患者的治疗尚缺乏有效手段。病毒感染诱发细胞因子风暴(CS)导致免疫病理损伤是重症肺炎发生发展的核心机制。因此,通过调节免疫反应抑制CS来治疗病毒性肺炎的观点日益受到关注。一直以来中药都被广泛用于疫病的防治,其具有强大的抗炎和免疫调节作用,有望抑制CS,减轻组织损伤,改善患者预后。本文主要从抗炎和抑制CS的角度综述了中药在病毒性肺炎治疗中的作用及药效机制,并对中药干预新型冠状病毒肺炎的应用前景进行了展望。

COVID-19 is spreading worldwide, but there is still a lack of specific treatments for severe patients. Viral infection induces cytokine storm(CS), leading to immunopathological damage, which is the core mechanism of the occurrence and development of severe pneumonia. Therefore, the treatment for viral pneumonia by immunomodulation and inhibiting the CS is increasingly concerned. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has been widely used in the prevention and treatment of epidemics. With strong anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory functions, TCM is expected to inhibit the CS, reduce the tissue damage, and improve the prognosis of patients. In this paper, based on the perspective of anti-inflammation and the CS inhibition, the role and pharmacodynamic mechanisms of TCM in the treatment of viral pneumonia are summarized, and the application prospect of TCM to the intervention for COVID-19 is prospected.