Xuanbai Chengqi decoction or XBCQ, a Chinese remedy used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is found effectively modulating immune cells, improving lung function along with and reducing lung inflammation by potentially changing the gut microbiome of mice with the disease, suggests a new study. 

The study by a team of researchers at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, published in International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, says XBCQ could alleviate COPD exacerbations by reshaping the gut microbiota and improving the immune cell balance, which aids in elucidating the mechanism as a therapy for COPD in a mice model. There is increasing evidence which suggests the balance between two types of immune cells — Th17 and T-regulatory (Treg) cells — plays vital roles in developing COPD. Th17 cells are pro-inflammatory T-cells responsible for producing immune signaling proteins (cytokines) linked to inflammation. Treg cells, in contrast, are a type of regulatory T-cells that help maintain immune balance by releasing cytokines that suppress inflammatory responses. People who smoke cigarettes have fewer Treg cells and lower levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Further, the Th17/Treg imbalance worsens lung inflammation in COPD mouse models exposed to cigarette smoke extract. Researchers at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, in China, have proposed that the interaction between the gut microbiome and Th17/Treg balance may further regulate the development and worsening of COPD.