Research progress in biological mechanism of disease caused latent toxin
10.3760/cma.j.cn115398-20250223-00300
- VernacularTitle:伏毒致病的生物学机制研究进展
- Author:
Chong Ng SHAN
1
;
Yingjie ZHANG
;
Wenbin WU
;
Haiyan ZHANG
;
Beiping ZHANG
;
Cailing ZHONG
Author Information
1. 广州中医药大学2023级博士研究生，广州 510405
- Keywords:
Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine & western medicine;
Theory of latent-toxin pathogenesis;
Microscopic manifestations;
Biological mechanisms;
Review
- From:
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2025;47(11):1627-1632
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The core pathogenesis of disease caused by latent toxin is deficiency of healthy qi and lingering pathogen, which is characterized by lingering and recurrent courses, and onset upon exogenous induction. The biological mechanisms of disease caused by latent toxin present multi-dimensional and synergistic characteristics. Immune dysfunction and inflammatory response serve as the core links, involving the abnormal activation of signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, TLR, and NF-κB; the accumulation of metabolites, as the microscopic carrier of latent toxin, participates in chronic complications of diabetes by damaging vascular endothelium and inhibiting repair pathways; immune escape and tolerance, as well as weakened tumor suppressor function, supplement the potential mechanisms of latent toxin from the perspectives of pathogen/tumor cell latency and congenital insufficiency; the imbalance of tissue repair and remodeling, and the imbalance of protein metabolism and cellular homeostasis further improve the mechanism network of latent toxin. Among these, immune dysfunction, tumor suppressor gene mutation, and regulatory dysfunction may be the microscopic manifestations of "healthy qi deficiency"; inflammatory factors, metabolites, viruses, and tumor cells may be the microscopic manifestations of "latent toxin". Current studies have limitations, such as unclear specific biomarkers for different types of latent toxin, insufficient research on the interaction of multiple mechanisms, and lack of clinical verification. It is suggested that future research should be further carried out around "latent toxin classification-mechanism-efficacy".
