Codonopsis tangshen Attenuates Age-Related Pulmonary Fibrosis Through Senescence and Gut–Lung Axis Modulation
6 affiliations
- 1Research Center for Differentiation and Development of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China
- 2Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China
- 3Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China
- 4Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa 1649-003, Portugal
- 5Academician Workstation, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China
- 6National Key Laboratory for the Creation of Classic Prescriptions and Modern Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China
Abstract
Background: Cellular senescence is a critical driver of chronic inflammation, tissue remodeling, and progressive fibrosis during the aging process. Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. is a widely used medicinal and edible homologous plant in traditional Chinese medicine; however, its pharmacological effects on natural aging and age-related pulmonary fibrosis, as well as the underlying mechanisms, are still not fully elucidated. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups: young control (YCtrl), natural-age control (OCtrl), high-dose CT (H-O-CT, 20.8 g/kg), low-dose CT (L-O-CT, 10.4 g/kg), and positive drug YPF (O-YPF, 20.8 g/kg), with n = 10 per group. A bleomycin-induced cellular senescence model in A549 cells was established in vitro to provide complementary evidence. Additionally, the composition of gut microbiota and the expression of intestinal barrier markers were analyzed to explore potential gut–lung axis involvement. Results: The results demonstrated that C. tangshen extract significantly decreased the histological and molecular markers of pulmonary senescence, ameliorated multiple lung function parameters, and attenuated age-related pulmonary fibrosis in aged mice. Transcriptomic analysis and protein validation further revealed that these protective effects were associated with modulation of the FBXW7/TPP1 and HSF1/HSP70 signaling pathways. Moreover, the extract reshaped the gut microbiota composition and enhanced the expression of intestinal MUC2 and tight-junction proteins, which supports possible involvement of the gut–lung axis. Conclusions: These results highlight the potential of Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. as a promising preclinical treatment for the intervention and management of aging and age-related fibrotic lung injury.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026codonopsis,
title = {{Codonopsis tangshen Attenuates Age-Related Pulmonary Fibrosis Through Senescence and Gut–Lung Axis Modulation}},
author = {Yi Zhao and Yumeng Gong and Han Zhu and Weide Zhang and Mingrui Cai and Changxin Yang and Olga Silva and Lingxia Xu and Yongmei Guan and Weifeng Zhu},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nu18193289},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667169},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Codonopsis tangshen Attenuates Age-Related Pulmonary Fibrosis Through Senescence and Gut–Lung Axis Modulation
AU - Yi Zhao
AU - Yumeng Gong
AU - Han Zhu
AU - Weide Zhang
AU - Mingrui Cai
AU - Changxin Yang
AU - Olga Silva
AU - Lingxia Xu
AU - Yongmei Guan
AU - Weifeng Zhu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18193289
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667169
AB - Background: Cellular senescence is a critical driver of chronic inflammation, tissue remodeling, and progressive fibrosis during the aging process. Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. is a widely used medicinal and edible homologous plant in traditional Chinese medicine; however, its pharmacological effects on natural aging and age-related pulmonary fibrosis, as well as the underlying mechanisms, are still not fully elucidated. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups: young control (YCtrl), natural-age control (OCtrl), high-dose CT (H-O-CT, 20.8 g/kg), low-dose CT (L-O-CT, 10.4 g/kg), and positive drug YPF (O-YPF, 20.8 g/kg), with n = 10 per group. A bleomycin-induced cellular senescence model in A549 cells was established in vitro to provide complementary evidence. Additionally, the composition of gut microbiota and the expression of intestinal barrier markers were analyzed to explore potential gut–lung axis involvement. Results: The results demonstrated that C. tangshen extract significantly decreased the histological and molecular markers of pulmonary senescence, ameliorated multiple lung function parameters, and attenuated age-related pulmonary fibrosis in aged mice. Transcriptomic analysis and protein validation further revealed that these protective effects were associated with modulation of the FBXW7/TPP1 and HSF1/HSP70 signaling pathways. Moreover, the extract reshaped the gut microbiota composition and enhanced the expression of intestinal MUC2 and tight-junction proteins, which supports possible involvement of the gut–lung axis. Conclusions: These results highlight the potential of Codonopsis tangshen Oliv. as a promising preclinical treatment for the intervention and management of aging and age-related fibrotic lung injury.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -