Using a System Pharmacology Method to Search for the Potential Targets and Pathways of Yinqiaosan against COVID-19

The mechanism of geniposide in patients with COVID-19 and atherosclerosis: A pharmacological and bioinformatics analysis

In patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (which causes coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]), oxidative stress (OS) is associated with disease severity and death. OS is also involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (AS). Previous studies have shown that geniposide has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties, and can protect cells against OS. However, the potential target(s) of geniposide in patients with COVID-19 and AS, as well as the mechanism it uses, are unclear. We combined pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis to obtain geniposide against COVID-19/AS targets, and build protein-protein interaction network to filter hub genes. The hub genes were performed an enrichment analysis by ClueGO, including Gene Ontology and KEGG. The Enrichr database and the target microRNAs (miRNAs) of hub genes were predicted through the MiRTarBase via Enrichr. The common miRNAs were used to construct the miRNAs-mRNAs regulated network, and the miRNAs' function was evaluated by mirPath v3.0 software. Two hundred forty-seven targets of geniposide were identified in patients with COVID-19/AS comorbidity by observing the overlap between the genes modulated by geniposide, COVID-19, and AS. A protein-protein interaction network of geniposide in patients with COVID-19/AS was constructed, and 27 hub genes were identified. The results of enrichment analysis suggested that geniposide may be involved in regulating the OS via the FoxO signaling pathway. MiRNA-mRNA network revealed that hsa-miR-34a-5p may play an important role in the therapeutic mechanism of geniposide in COVID-19/AS patients. Our study found that geniposide represents a promising therapy for patients with COVID-19 and AS comorbidity. Furthermore, the target genes and miRNAs that we identified may aid the development of new treatment strategies against COVID-19/AS.

Establishment of Quality Evaluation Method for Yinqiao Powder: A Herbal Formula against COVID-19 in China

Yinqiao powder, with significant anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects, is a classical formula for the treatment of febrile diseases in China. During the SARS period in 2003, Yinqiao powder showed a good antipyretic effect. It also plays a major role in the treatment for COVID-19 in China. Although there are many studies on the chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of Yinqiao powder, there are few studies on the quality standard system of it. In our study, a systematic quality evaluation method of Yinqiao powder combining HPLC fingerprint with quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS) based on network pharmacology and UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS was established for the first time. In the UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS experiment, a total of 53 compounds were identified in the extract solution of Yinqiao powder. In addition, 33 blood components were characterized, 23 of which were prototypes. The results of network pharmacology analysis showed that Yinqiao powder may inhibit inflammatory responses by suppressing IL-6, CXCL2, TNFα, NF-κB, etc., in the treatment of COVID-19. The HPLC fingerprint analysis of Yinqiao powder was conducted at 237 nm and 29 characteristic peaks were matched, 11 of which were identified. Forsythoside A was selected as the internal standard reference and double-wavelength (237 nm and 327 nm) was established in QAMS experiment. The repeatability was well under different conditions, and the results measured by QAMS were consisted with that of the external standard method (ESM), indicating that the QAMS method was reliable and accurate. The quality evaluation method of Yinqiao powder would be helpful to evaluate the intrinsic quality of Yinqiao powder more comprehensively, which is conducive to improve the quality standard of Yinqiao powder and provide a beneficial guarantee for the clinical treatment of COVID-19.

Mechanism of Zhinao Capsule in Treating Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Network Pharmacology Analysis and Molecular Docking Validation

Objective

This study aimed to determine the active components of Zhinao capsule (ZNC) and the targets in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) so as to investigate and explore the mechanism of ZNC for AD.

Methods

The active components and targets of ZNC were determined from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database (TCMSP). The target genes of AD were searched for in GeneCards. Cytoscape was used to construct an herb-component-target-disease network. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by STRING. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the OmicShare. UCSF Chimera and SwissDock were used for molecular docking verification. Finally, four key target genes were validated by Western blotting.

Results

In total, 55 active components, 287 targets of active components, 1197 disease genes, and 134 common genes were screened, which were significantly enriched in 3975 terms of biological processes (BP), 284 terms of cellular components (CC), 433 terms of molecular functions (MF), and 245 signaling pathways. Caspase-3 (CASP3) and beta-sitosterol, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and quercetin, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and baicalein, and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) and quercetin showed good-to-better docking. Moreover, ZNC not only downregulated CASP3 and TNF-α protein expression but also upregulated the protein expression of VEGFA and MAPK1.

Conclusions

The active components of ZNC, such as beta-sitosterol, quercetin, and baicalein may act on multiple targets like CASP3, VEGFA, MAPK1, and TNF-α to affect T cell receptor (TCR), TNF, and MAPK signaling pathway, thereby achieving the treatment of AD. This study provides a scientific basis for further exploring the potential mechanism of ZNC in the treatment of AD and a reference for its clinical application.