Unraveling the therapeutic mechanisms of Polygonum cuspidatum in pulmonary fibrosis: Modulation of M2 macrophage polarization and glycolysis pathways.
Gao Y, Ng CYJ, Ni K, Hu Q, Shi X
Medicinal Plants
Japanese knotweed, the plant many gardeners wage relentless war against along fence lines and riverbanks, turns out to carry compounds that dial down a specific immune pathway linked to serious lung disease.
Japanese knotweed, often considered an invasive weed, contains natural compounds that were tested against a serious lung-scarring condition in mice. The plant's extracts appeared to stop certain immune cells from going into an overactive state that causes the lungs to fill with fibrous tissue. It does this by interfering with the energy supply those immune cells rely on — essentially cutting off their fuel so they can't drive the damage.
Key Findings
Japanese knotweed extract lowered hydroxyproline levels (a marker of lung scarring) and preserved normal lung structure in a bleomycin-induced mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis.
The extract suppressed M2 macrophage polarization by inhibiting the HIF-1α/STAT3 signaling pathway, reducing key markers CD206, Arginase1, and Spp1.
PC reduced glycolytic enzyme activity (HK2, GLUT1, PFKFB3, LDHA) in macrophages, disrupting the energy metabolism that fuels the damaging feedback loop between immune cells and scar-forming fibroblasts.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that Japanese knotweed extract significantly reduces lung scarring in mice by blocking a key immune cell process — specifically, it prevents immune cells called macrophages from switching into a tissue-damaging mode that drives the disease.
Abstract Preview
Polygonum cuspidatum (PC), a plant widely distributed in East Asia, is traditionally used for respiratory diseases and is documented in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" as having heat-clearing pr...
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Reynoutria japonica, synonyms Fallopia japonica and Polygonum cuspidatum, is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Common names include Japanese knotweed and Asian knotweed. It is native to East Asia in Japan, China and Korea. In North America ...