Researchers discovered that a compound extracted from a traditional Chinese medicinal herb called Elsholtzia penduliflora can significantly reduce severe flu-related lung damage by blocking a specific immune-metabolic pathway that drives harmful inflammation.
1
The phenolic-rich fraction (EP) of Elsholtzia penduliflora significantly reduced viral titers, lung injury scores, inflammation, and cell death in both mouse models and human lung cells infected with H1N1 influenza.
2
EP reversed H1N1-induced disruption of the tryptophan-kynurenine metabolic pathway by downregulating the enzyme IDO-1, a key regulator of immune metabolism.
3
When IDO-1 was artificially reactivated using an agonist compound (3-MI), the protective effects of EP — including reduction of mitochondrial damage, ROS accumulation, and STAT1 signaling — were abolished, confirming IDO-1 as the critical target.
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