July 2, 2016 / Xiangya Hospital Central South University, etc. / International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Text / 呉廷耀

Some doctors once used “scouring pad” to describe the appearance of fibrotic lungs. 現時点では, the alveoli have lost the function of exchanging air, which seriously affects breathing. There are few specific medicines to treat. The five-year survival rate of patients with pulmonary fibrosis is lower than that of patients with lung cancer. したがって, unless pulmonary fibrosis is discovered in the early stage, つまり, when the alveolar wall is inflamed, there is a better chance of preventing or delaying the deterioration of the disease. Once it has reached the stage of tissue fibrosis, the treatment is very difficult. Early breathing disorder, shortness of breath and dry cough are often ignored by patients or misdiagnosed by doctors. したがって, when most patients are diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, they have entered the middle and late stages of this disease.

Smoking, gastroesophageal reflux, environmental influences, genetics, gene mutations, drugs and other factors may cause lung damage and excessive inflammation for a long time, leading to the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis. しかし, if the lungs can be protected withマンネンタケ at the same time, the crisis of pulmonary fibrosis may be resolved.

Research conducted by the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, in collaboration with multiple units, confirmed that polysaccharides fromマンネンタケ (PGL) can prevent and treat pulmonary fibrosis caused by the anti-cancer drug bleomycin. This result has been published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules in July 2016.