Milkvetch root improves immune function in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD.

Milkvetch root as a medicine has been used for more over 2000 years in China, can strengthen immune function, protect liver, promote urination, resist aging and stress, reduce blood pressure and extensively resist bacterium. This study explored the effects of milkvetch root on the immune function of patients with a definitive diagnosis of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. All patients received conventional clinical therapy; those in the experimental group were also administered milkvetch root. The serum levels of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-8 (IL-8), IL-1β, and IL-32 and immunocytes including T helper (Th), cytotoxic T (Tc), natural killer (NK), regulatory T (Treg) and B cells were measured 1 day before treatment and 7 and 14 days post-treatment. After bronchodilator inhalation, pulmonary function was evaluated at these same time points. The serum TNF-α, IL-8, IL-1β, and IL-32 levels were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group 14 days post-treatment. The Th/Tc ratio and NK cell ratio was significantly higher but the Treg cell ratio was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group 14 days post-treatment. These results indicate that milkvetch root can improve the immune function of patients with acute exacerbation of COPD.