How Traditional Chinese Medicine may both increase and decrease immune responses through the cGAS-STING pathway and its potential medical uses

The cGAS-STING pathway is associated with various diseases due to its role in innate immunity.

• Aberrant activation of the cGAS-STING pathway is linked to autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammation, organ injury, and metabolic dysregulation.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may effectively modulate cGAS-STING signaling through multi-component and multi-target strategies.
• Bioactive compounds from TCM can regulate the cGAS-STING pathway by targeting either cGAS or STING directly or influencing upstream processes.
• These TCM interventions could affect inflammatory responses, immune cell activity, and disease progression.
• The cGAS-STING pathway interacts with multiple signaling pathways, including NF-κB, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and MAPK pathways, potentially explaining TCM's broad effects.

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