A Stragalus Membranaceus, Houttugnia Cordata, Radix Isatidis, And Lentinan Induce The Expression Of Human-β-defensin-2 In Pulmonary Epithelial Cells.

Background The low respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are one of the first ten death diseases in clinical practice. The severity of pulmonary infection is aggravated following aging, There are more morbidity and mortality in the elderly. The major microorganisms of LRTIs include bacteria, viruses and atypical pathogenic bacteria. In recent years, respiratory tract virus infection critically threaten to the people, nevertheless, we are still lack of effective approaches to overcome it. On the other side, the drug-resistant bacteria also quickly spread after more than 50 years of widespread use of antibiotics. In fact, according to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) almost all significant bacterial infections in the world are becoming resistant to the antibiotic treatment of choice. Bacteria resistance could mean more visits to the doctor, a lengthier illness and possible more toxic drugs and it also could mean death. So it is urgent to explore a new therapy against viruses and drug-resistant bacteria, then defensins naturally become the hotspot of research.