Herbal plants coordinate COVID-19 in multiple dimensions - An insight analysis for clinically applied remedies

Abstract

The use of multipronged measures, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has greatly increased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we found the use of TCM and is positively correlated with the regional cure rate in China (R=0.77, P <10 -5 ). We analyzed 185 commonly administered TCM recipes comprised of 210 herbs nationwide to reveal mechanistic insight. Eight out of the 10 most commonly used herbs showed anti-coronavirus potential by intersecting with COVID-19 targets. Intriguingly, 17 compounds from the 5 most commonly used herbs were revealed to have direct anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential by docking with the two core structures [CoV spike (S) glycoprotein (6SVB) and CoV 3CL hydrolase (6LU7)]. Seven reported COVID-19 drugs served as positive controls; among them, retionavir (-7.828 kcal/mol) and remdesivir (-8.738 kcal/mol) performed best with 6VSB and 6LU7, respectively. The top candidate was madreselvin B (6SVB: -8.588 kcal/mol and 6LU7: -9.017 kcal/mol), an appreciable component of Flos Lonicerae. Eighty-six compounds from 22 unlisted herbs were further identified among 2,042 natural compounds, completing our arsenal for TCM formulations. The mechanisms have been implicated as multifactorial, including activation of immunoregulation (Th2, PPAR and IL10), suppression of acute inflammatory responses (IL-6, IL-1α/β, TNF, COX2/1, etc.), enhancement of antioxidative activity (CAT and SOD1), and modulation of apoptosis (inhibited CASP3). It is of interest to understand the biological mechanisms of TCM recipes. We then analyzed 18 representative remedies based on molecular targets associated with 14 medical conditions over the disease course, e.g., pyrexia, coughing, asthenia, lymphopenia, cytokine storm, etc. The significant level of coherence (SLC) revealed, in part, the potential uses and properties of corresponding TCMs. Thus, herbal plants coordinate to combat COVID-19 in multiple dimensions, casting a light of hope before effective vaccines are developed.

The pharmacological mechanism of Huashi Baidu Formula for the treatment of COVID-19 by combined network pharmacology and molecular docking

“…The proportion of TCM applications in Wuhan city, Hubei province, and China was 89.10%, 91.64%, and 92.41%, respectively (19,21,46,47). HSBDF was gradually implemented in the treatment process of the first batch of Chinese medicine medical teams in Jinyintan Hospital and Dongxihu square cabin hospital (21,48).…”

Progress in Traditional Chinese Medicine Against Respiratory Viruses: A Review

“…Uncontrolled inflammation can trigger a cytokine storm, leading to cytokine release syndrome ( Zuo et al, 2020 ), tissue damage to the heart, liver, and kidneys, respiratory and multiple organ failure, and even death ( Schett et al, 2020 ; Huang et al, 2020b ). Therefore, anti-inflammatory drugs are as important as antiviral drugs for critical patients ( Table 4 )( Ren et al, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ; Chikhale et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2021c ).…”

Clinical data mining reveals Gancao-Banxia as a potential herbal pair against moderate COVID‐19 by dual binding to IL-6/STAT3

“…TCM mainly exerts the effect of anti-viral infection indirectly by regulating and restoring the equilibrium of the body's immune system [ 13 ]. Using of Chinese medicine was confirmed to be associated with regional cure rate in China [ 14 ]. A series of clinical trials, case reports and observational studies confirmed the broad prospects of Chinses medicines in preventing or treating COVID-19 in different periods [ [14] , [15] , [16] ].…”