It is intended to provide a substance promoting the production of thioredoxin which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cell protective actions and plays an important role as a redox regulatory factor in a cell. Further, it is intended to provide a pharmaceutical which contains the substance as an active ingredient, is effective in the prevention or treatment of a chronic obstructive lung disease, and has high safety. The invention relates to a novel pharmaceutical application of an extract from a vaccinia virus-inoculated and inflamed tissue and relates to a thioredoxin production promoting agent containing the extract as an active ingredient. The extract has an excellent thioredoxin production promoting action against an oxidative stress caused by a stimulus by such as a tobacco smoke extract or hydrogen peroxide and showed a significant lung cell protective effect. Therefore, the pharmaceutical of the invention containing the extract as an active ingredient is highly useful as a preventive or therapeutic agent for a chronic obstructive lung disease considered to be mainly caused by a continuous oxidative stress such as chronic smoking and the pharmaceutical with less side effects and high safety.
