The Phytochemical Herbacetin Shows Promise in Protecting Lungs from Influenza Damage
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Sep 04, 2025 6 hours, 52 minutes ago
Thailand Medical News: Influenza and Its Hidden Dangers
Influenza A virus remains one of the world’s most persistent health threats, responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. While most people think of flu as a short-term illness, severe infections can trigger pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and even long-term scarring of the lungs known as pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is particularly dangerous because it causes the lungs to stiffen, making it difficult for patients to breathe normally and recover fully.
The Phytochemical Herbacetin Shows Promise in Protecting Lungs from Influenza Damage
Researchers from the State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University in China have been exploring ways to address this overlooked complication. According to this
Thailand Medical News report, their recent findings reveal that a phytochemical called herbacetin may hold the key to reducing both lung injury and fibrosis caused by influenza infections.
What Is Herbacetin
Herbacetin is a flavonoid compound found in the medicinal plant Rhodiola rosea, also known as golden root. This plant has been used in traditional medicine for centuries, particularly in Europe and Asia, to treat fatigue, infections, and lung problems. Scientists have now tested herbacetin directly against influenza virus infections in both laboratory and animal models.
The study found that herbacetin works by binding to the influenza virus’s neuraminidase protein, a crucial enzyme the virus needs to spread inside the body. By blocking this protein, herbacetin was able to reduce viral activity, limit damage to lung tissue, and prevent the activation of a biological pathway called TGF-β/Smad3, which plays a major role in driving fibrosis.
Study Findings
In mouse models infected with influenza, herbacetin treatment led to less inflammation, reduced fluid buildup in the lungs, and a marked decrease in the thick collagen deposits that are characteristic of fibrosis. The researchers also compared herbacetin to oseltamivir, a standard flu medication, and found that high doses of herbacetin produced similar protective effects against lung damage.
At the cellular level, herbacetin reduced levels of fibrosis-related proteins such as fibronectin and Snail. It also blocked the excessive activity of Smad3 inside lung cells, a process directly linked to scarring. Importantly, herbacetin was shown to directly attach to the viral neuraminidase enzyme with strong binding activity, making it harder for the virus to replicate and spread.
Why This Matters
The findings suggest that herbacetin provides a double benefit: it acts as both an antiviral agent and an antifibrotic treatment. This dual action makes it particularly valuable, as current flu treatments only focus on stopping viral replication and do not address the long-te
rm damage left behind in the lungs.
For millions worldwide who are at risk of severe flu complications—including the elderly, young children, and those with weakened immune systems—such therapies could offer new hope. However, researchers caution that more work is needed to improve herbacetin’s stability and bioavailability before it can be tested in human trials.
Conclusion
This research highlights the importance of looking beyond short-term flu symptoms and addressing the long-term complications that can silently develop after infection. Herbacetin, derived from Rhodiola rosea, shows strong potential to fight both the virus itself and the dangerous lung fibrosis it can leave behind. If future clinical studies confirm these results, herbacetin could emerge as a much-needed addition to influenza treatment options.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Pharmaceuticals.
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/9/1306
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/herbs-and-phytochemicals
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