Mechanism of Diaphragmatic Dysfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251961
- VernacularTitle:慢性阻塞性肺疾病膈肌功能障碍机制及中医药治疗的研究进展
- Author:
Yuanyuan YING
1
;
Xiaoqing ZHOU
1
;
Kaiwen NI
1
;
Zhen WANG
1
Author Information
1. The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University/ Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine，Hangzhou 310000，China
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease（COPD）;
diaphragmatic dysfunction;
traditional Chinese medicine;
antioxidant stress;
cell apoptosis;
mitochondrial function;
epigenetic regulation;
ion channel;
autophagy
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(8):285-296
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease（COPD） is a common chronic respiratory disorder frequently accompanied by diaphragmatic dysfunction during its course， which significantly increases respiratory burden and impairs quality of life. As the primary inspiratory muscle， the diaphragm is prone to fatigue， atrophy， inflammation， and fibrosis during the long-term progression of COPD. Its pathological mechanisms involve multiple pathways such as inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， mitochondrial dysfunction， apoptosis， ion channel abnormalities， epigenetic regulation， autophagy disorder， and protein metabolism imbalance. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） has demonstrated multi-targeted and systemic regulatory advantages in improving diaphragmatic function in COPD. However， related studies remain fragmented， and integrated mechanistic understanding is lacking. This paper focuses on the mechanism-target-TCM intervention framework， systematically summarizing the molecular mechanisms of diaphragmatic dysfunction， while incorporating the TCM theory of Zongqi（ancestral Qi）. It highlights the therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal formulas， single herbs， and active components in modulating inflammation， oxidative stress， mitochondrial function， ion channels， epigenetic processes， autophagy， and protein homeostasis. Additionally， the review outlines existing challenges， including insufficient study volume， unbalanced selection of herbal prescriptions， limited mechanistic depth， inconsistent disease models and experimental designs， lack of standardized diaphragmatic function assessment， and weak clinical validation. Future research should strengthen the integration of TCM and modern medicine， identify additional therapeutic targets， deepen mechanistic research， and establish unified and standardized experimental systems to advance the theoretical foundation and clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of COPD-related diaphragmatic dysfunction.
