Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is the terminal manifestation of various interstitial lung diseases. It is pathologically characterized by progressive destruction of alveolar structure and functional alveolar units, as well as persistent fibrosis of lung tissue. The prognosis is extremely poor, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. In the pathological process of PF, there are typical “senescence-associated features” such as telomere shortening, resistance to apoptosis, and senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Cellular senescence, as one of the pathogenic mechanisms, plays an important role in the occurrence and development of PF. Studies have shown that the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), single medicinal herbs and compound preparations of TCM can achieve the therapeutic effect of delaying the progression of PF by directly or indirectly inhibiting cellular senescence. Therefore, this article elaborates on the connection between cellular senescence and PF, summarizes the current research status of TCM in treating PF by inhibiting cellular senescence in recent years, and provides a reference for the clinical treatment of PF.

pulmonary fibrosis  /  cellular senescence  /  senescence-associated secretory phenotype  /  traditional Chinese medicine  /  interstitial lung disease