Modulating mitochondria with Natural Extract Compound: from bench to clinical therapeutic opportunities for COPD

Qiao Wang¹Ziling Zeng¹Linlin Guo^2*Kent E. Williams³Yun - Zhang¹Hongmei Tang¹Hang Hu¹Gang Qin¹Kaijin Wang^4*Xing Wang^1*

• ¹The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
• ²Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Indiana University Bloomington, Indianapolis, United States
• ³Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Indiana University Bloomington, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
• ⁴Bishan hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease that leads to death and disability worldwide and is caused by hereditary and environmental factors. It is characterized by chronic inflammation, emphysema and irreversible li mitation of airflow. Dual or triple therapy with traditional approach can provide relief from COPD symptoms by reducing the frequency and severity of outbreaks, but there are no current therapies to reverse the long-term declines in lung function. Although ICS rescue inhalers demonstrate efficacy in acute attacks, these can't be utilized for chronic management of COPD due to adverse effects. Therefore, novel agents and therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to address this disease. It is believed that malfunctioning mitochondria are associated with COPD pathogenesis contributing to inflammation, apoptosis and cellular senescence. A better understanding of these mechanisms could provide novel therapeutic approaches to maintaining lung and skeletal muscle function. Many natural extract compounds show therapeutic potential for COPD and are associated with few adverse reactions. Notably, these natural compounds can improve mitochondrial function and exhibit a variety of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. In this review, we systemically summarize the pathogenic role of impaired mitochondria in COPD and the potential mechanisms by which natural extract compounds may ameliorate these impairments.