RESUMO
Chinese herbal formulas including the lung-cleaning and toxicity-excluding (LCTE) soup have played an important role in treating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (caused by SARS-CoV-2) in China. Applying LCTE outside of China may prove challenging due to the unfamiliar rationale behind its application in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. To overcome this barrier, a biochemical understanding of the clinical effects of LCTE is needed. Here, we explore the chemical compounds present in the reported LCTE ingredients and the proteins targeted by these compounds via a network pharmacology analysis. Our results indicate that LCTE contains compounds with the potential to directly inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and inflammation, and that the compound targets proteins highly related to COVID-19's main symptoms. We predict the general effect of LCTE is to affect the pathways involved in viral and other microbial infections, inflammation/cytokine response, and lung diseases. Our work provides a biochemical basis for using LCTE to treat COVID-19 and its main symptoms.
Assuntos
Antivirais/farmacologia , Betacoronavirus/efeitos dos fármacos , Infecções por Coronavirus/tratamento farmacológico , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/farmacologia , Medicina Tradicional Chinesa , Pandemias , Pneumonia Viral/tratamento farmacológico , Anti-Inflamatórios/análise , Anti-Inflamatórios/farmacologia , Anti-Inflamatórios/uso terapêutico , Antivirais/química , Antivirais/uso terapêutico , COVID-19 , Sulfato de Cálcio , China/epidemiologia , Infecções por Coronavirus/epidemiologia , Infecções por Coronavirus/metabolismo , Sistemas de Liberação de Medicamentos , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/química , Medicamentos de Ervas Chinesas/uso terapêutico , Trato Gastrointestinal/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Redes e Vias Metabólicas/efeitos dos fármacos , Fitoterapia , Plantas Medicinais/química , Pneumonia Viral/epidemiologia , Pneumonia Viral/metabolismo , Sistema Respiratório/efeitos dos fármacos , SARS-CoV-2 , Proteínas Virais/antagonistas & inibidores , Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: In this study we execute a rational screen to identify Chinese medical herbs that are commonly used in treating viral respiratory infections and also contain compounds that might directly inhibit 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), an ongoing novel coronavirus that causes pneumonia. METHODS: There were two main steps in the screening process. In the first step we conducted a literature search for natural compounds that had been biologically confirmed as against sever acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus or Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Resulting compounds were cross-checked for listing in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database. Compounds meeting both requirements were subjected to absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) evaluation to verify that oral administration would be effective. Next, a docking analysis was used to test whether the compound had the potential for direct 2019-nCoV protein interaction. In the second step we searched Chinese herbal databases to identify plants containing the selected compounds. Plants containing 2 or more of the compounds identified in our screen were then checked against the catalogue for classic herbal usage. Finally, network pharmacology analysis was used to predict the general in vivo effects of each selected herb. RESULTS: Of the natural compounds screened, 13 that exist in traditional Chinese medicines were also found to have potential anti-2019-nCoV activity. Further, 125 Chinese herbs were found to contain 2 or more of these 13 compounds. Of these 125 herbs, 26 are classically catalogued as treating viral respiratory infections. Network pharmacology analysis predicted that the general in vivo roles of these 26 herbal plants were related to regulating viral infection, immune/inflammation reactions and hypoxia response. CONCLUSION: Chinese herbal treatments classically used for treating viral respiratory infection might contain direct anti-2019-nCoV compounds.