Saussurea involucrata Cultures for High-Altitude Illness: Enhancing Hypoxia Tolerance and Protecting Against Acute/Chronic Hypoxic Injury

Zhao, Jinyu; Li, Yutong; Wang, Fan; Jia, Kangjie; Lou, Ge; Shao, Huihui; Jin, Mingji; Gao, Zhonggao; Wu, Xianfu; Wang, Shuangqing

doi:10.3390/nu18040556

Open AccessArticle

Saussurea involucrata Cultures for High-Altitude Illness: Enhancing Hypoxia Tolerance and Protecting Against Acute/Chronic Hypoxic Injury

by

Jinyu Zhao

^1,†,

Yutong Li

^2,†

,

Fan Wang

³,

Kangjie Jia

⁴,

Ge Lou

¹,

Huihui Shao

¹,

Mingji Jin

¹,

Zhonggao Gao

^1,*,

Xianfu Wu

^2,*

and

Shuangqing Wang

^1,*

¹

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China

²

National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China

³

Shanxi Kangbao Biological Products Co., Ltd., Changzhi 046000, China

⁴

Shanxi Kangbao Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changzhi 046600, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contribute equally to this work.

Nutrients 2026, 18(4), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18040556

Submission received: 6 January 2026 / Revised: 23 January 2026 / Accepted: 5 February 2026 / Published: 7 February 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Foods in the Prevention and Treatment of Metabolic Disorders)

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Abstract

Objective: To systematically evaluate the potential of Saussurea involucrata cultures (SICs) against high-altitude illness under hypobaric hypoxia and establish a progressive experimental evidence chain covering acute hypoxia tolerance enhancement and acute/chronic hypoxic injury protection. Methods: A tiered experimental strategy was employed. Key findings were derived from primary rat models of acute (5500 m, 8 h) and chronic intermittent (5500 m, 8 h/d, 4–8 weeks) hypobaric hypoxia. A mouse acute tolerance model (10,000 m lethality, closed-system endurance) provided supplementary verification. Comprehensive analyses included survival, hemorheology, multi-organ function, and core mechanistic indicators of endothelial function and oxidative stress. Diamox, Rhodiola, and Compound Danshen Dripping Pills served as positive controls. Normoxic/hypoxic blank groups served as negative controls. Results: SICs significantly enhanced acute hypoxia tolerance in mice. In the rat models, SICs demonstrated dose-dependent and selective regulation of the endothelial–oxidative stress/hemorheology axis. Specifically, it downregulated endothelin-1, upregulated nitric oxide, enhanced total antioxidant capacity, and improved chronic hypoxia-induced blood hyperviscosity. Medium doses showed consistent optimal efficacy. SICs had limited effects on macroscopic organ remodeling. Conclusions: The core protective effect of SICs lies in enhancing hypoxic tolerance and selectively modulating the interconnected pathways of endothelial function, oxidative stress, and microcirculatory health. This mechanistic profile supports its potential as a preventive or early adjuvant intervention for high-altitude illness, providing a systematic preclinical foundation for translational development.

Keywords: Saussurea involucrata cultures; hypobaric hypoxia; hypoxia tolerance; metabolic disorders; functional foods

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhao, J.; Li, Y.; Wang, F.; Jia, K.; Lou, G.; Shao, H.; Jin, M.; Gao, Z.; Wu, X.; Wang, S. Saussurea involucrata Cultures for High-Altitude Illness: Enhancing Hypoxia Tolerance and Protecting Against Acute/Chronic Hypoxic Injury. Nutrients 2026, 18, 556. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18040556

AMA Style

Zhao J, Li Y, Wang F, Jia K, Lou G, Shao H, Jin M, Gao Z, Wu X, Wang S. Saussurea involucrata Cultures for High-Altitude Illness: Enhancing Hypoxia Tolerance and Protecting Against Acute/Chronic Hypoxic Injury. Nutrients. 2026; 18(4):556. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18040556

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhao, Jinyu, Yutong Li, Fan Wang, Kangjie Jia, Ge Lou, Huihui Shao, Mingji Jin, Zhonggao Gao, Xianfu Wu, and Shuangqing Wang. 2026. "Saussurea involucrata Cultures for High-Altitude Illness: Enhancing Hypoxia Tolerance and Protecting Against Acute/Chronic Hypoxic Injury" Nutrients 18, no. 4: 556. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18040556

APA Style

Zhao, J., Li, Y., Wang, F., Jia, K., Lou, G., Shao, H., Jin, M., Gao, Z., Wu, X., & Wang, S. (2026). Saussurea involucrata Cultures for High-Altitude Illness: Enhancing Hypoxia Tolerance and Protecting Against Acute/Chronic Hypoxic Injury. Nutrients, 18(4), 556. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18040556

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Saussurea involucrata Cultures for High-Altitude Illness: Enhancing Hypoxia Tolerance and Protecting Against Acute/Chronic Hypoxic Injury

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