The potential of metabolomics to support TCM research in treating viral pneumonia

Researchers from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and Zhejiang Chinese Medical University summarized recent metabolomics research in search of evidence of the reliability and effectiveness of TCM in treating viral pneumonia. Their review was published in the journal Chinese Medicine.

• Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is now widely acknowledged as a reliable treatment for viral pneumonia.
• However, the mechanism behind its therapeutic efficacy remains unknown.
• Metabolomics is a systemic approach that provides ample opportunity to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of various TCM, TCM syndromes, and their impact post-treatment.
• In this review, the researchers gathered metabolomics evidence of the effectiveness of TCM-based therapeutic measures against viral pneumonia.
• The results of metabolomics analysis demonstrate a systemic metabolic shift in lipid, amino acids, and energy metabolism.
• However, current studies about the effects of TCM on viral pneumonia are untargeted metabolomics.

The researchers concluded that further validations on targeted metabolomics should be carried out together with molecular biology technologies to prove the effectiveness of TCM in treating pneumonia.

TCM can be used to treat other illnesses – learn more at ChineseMedicine.news.

Read the full study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Lin L, Yan H, Chen J, Xie H, Peng L, Xie T, Zhao X, Wang S, Shan J. APPLICATION OF METABOLOMICS IN VIRAL PNEUMONIA TREATMENT WITH TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE. Chinese Medicine. 12 March 2019;14(1). DOI: 10.1186/s13020-019-0229-x