People are an organic unity: Gut-lung axis and pneumonia
Jing Guo,
Le Wang,
Ningxin Han,
Caiyun Yuan,
Yujie Yin,
Tongxing Wang,
Jiemeng Sun,
Peipei Jin,
Yi Liu,
Zhenhua Jia
Affiliations
Jing Guo
Graduate School, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050090, Hebei, China; The First Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050011, Hebei, China
Le Wang
Graduate School, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
Ningxin Han
Graduate School, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
Caiyun Yuan
Graduate School, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050090, Hebei, China
Yujie Yin
National Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, 050035, China; Key Laboratory of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Cardio-Cerebral Vessel Collateral Disease), Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
Tongxing Wang
National Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, 050035, China; Key Laboratory of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Cardio-Cerebral Vessel Collateral Disease), Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
Jiemeng Sun
Graduate School, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050090, Hebei, China; The First Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050011, Hebei, China
Peipei Jin
Graduate School, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050090, Hebei, China; The First Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050011, Hebei, China
Yi Liu
Graduate School, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, Hebei, China
Zhenhua Jia
Graduate School, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050090, Hebei, China; National Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, 050035, China; Key Laboratory of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Cardio-Cerebral Vessel Collateral Disease), Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China; Corresponding author. Graduate School, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, 050090, Hebei, China.
People are an organic unity. Every organ of our body doesn't exist alone. They are a part of our body and have important connections with other tissues or organs. The gut-lung axis is a typical example. Here, we reviewed the current research progress of the gut-lung axis. The main cross-talk between the intestine and lungs was sorted out, i.e. the specific interaction content contained in the gut-lung axis. We determine a relatively clear concept for the gut-lung axis, that is, the gut-lung axis is a cross-talk that the gut and lungs interact with each other through microorganisms and the immune system to achieve bidirectional regulation. The gut and lungs communicate with each other mainly through the immune system and symbiotic microbes, and these two pathways influence each other. The portal vein system and mesenteric lymphatics are the primary communication channels between the intestine and lungs. We also summarized the effects of pneumonia, including Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), on intestinal microbes and immune function through the gut-lung axis, and discussed the mechanism of this effect. Finally, we explored the value of intestinal microbes and the gut-lung axis in the treatment of pneumonia through the effect of intestinal microbes on pneumonia.
