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Qi H, Ma QH, Feng W, Chen SM, Wu CS, Wang Y, Wang TX, Hou YL, Jia ZH. Glycyrrhetinic acid blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection by activating the cGAS-STING signalling pathway. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:3976-3992. [PMID: 38922702 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) played an important role in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scientific basis and its active ingredients are still weakly studied. This study aims to decipher the underlying anti-SARS-CoV-2 mechanisms of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH GA's anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect was verified both in vitro and in vivo. Homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assays, biolayer interferometry technology, and molecular docking were employed to examine interactions of GA with human stimulator of interferon genes (hSTING). Immunofluorescence staining, western blot, and RT-qPCR were used to investigate nuclear translocation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and levels of STING target genes. Pharmacokinetics of GA was studied in mice. KEY RESULTS GA could directly bind to Ser162 and Tyr240 residues of hSTING, thus up-regulating downstream targets and activation of the STING signalling pathway. Such activation is crucial for limiting the replication of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Calu-3 cells and protecting against lung injury induced by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in K18-ACE2 transgenic mice. Immunofluorescence staining and western blot indicated that GA increased levels of phosphorylated STING, phosphorylated TANK-binding kinase-1, and cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS). Importantly, GA increased nuclear translocation of IRF3. Pharmacokinetic analysis of GA in mice indicated it can be absorbed into circulation and detected in the lung at a stable level. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Activation of the cGAS-STING pathway through the GA-STING-IRF3 axis is essential for the antiviral activity of GA in mice, providing new insights into the potential translation of GA for treating SARS-CoV-2 in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Qi
- Hebei Academy of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- State Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, China
- New Drug Evaluation Center, Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Qin-Hai Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wei Feng
- Hebei Academy of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- State Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Si-Mian Chen
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Cai-Sheng Wu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yanan Wang
- Hebei Academy of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- State Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Tong-Xing Wang
- Hebei Academy of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- State Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yun-Long Hou
- Hebei Academy of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- State Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, China
- New Drug Evaluation Center, Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Zhen-Hua Jia
- Hebei Academy of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- State Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang, China
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Li B, Qiao L, Zhang J, Xiao Q, Liu J, Zhang B, Liu H. Natural 7,8-secolignans from Schisandra sphenanthera fruit potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro and inflammation. J Tradit Complement Med 2024; 14:501-509. [PMID: 39262656 PMCID: PMC11384954 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2024.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), turned into a global pandemic, and there remains an urgent demand for specific/targeted drugs for the disease. The 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is a promising target for developing anti-coronavirus drugs. Schisandra sphenanthera fruit is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with good antiviral activity. This study found that the ethanolic extract displayed a significant inhibitory effect against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. Forty-four compounds were identified in this extract using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Combining molecular docking and in vitro experiments, we found that two epimeric 7,8-secolignans, rel-(1S,2R)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-3-oxobutyl-3,4-dimethoxybenzoate (2) and rel-(1S,2S)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-3-oxobutyl-3,4-dimethoxybenzoate (4), potently inhibited 3CLpro with IC50 values of 4.88 ± 0.60 μM and 4.75 ± 0.34 μM, respectively. Moreover, in vivo and in vitro experiments indicated that compounds 2 and 4 were potent in regulating the inflammatory response and preventing lung injury. Our findings indicate that compounds 2 and 4 may emerge as promising SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors via 3CLpro inhibition and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Li
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Liansheng Qiao
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 100029, Beijing, China
| | - Jianuo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Jiushi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Bengang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Haitao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 100193, Beijing, China
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Du Q, Liang R, Wu M, Yang M, Xie Y, Liu Q, Tang K, Lin X, Yuan S, Shen J. Alisol B 23-acetate broadly inhibits coronavirus through blocking virus entry and suppresses proinflammatory T cells responses for the treatment of COVID-19. J Adv Res 2024; 62:273-290. [PMID: 37802148 PMCID: PMC11331179 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2023.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV)-2 causes a global health disaster and pandemic. Seeking effective anti-pan-CoVs drugs benefit critical illness patients of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but also may play a role in emerging CoVs of the future. OBJECTIVES This study tested the hypothesis that alisol B 23-acetate could be a viral entry inhibitor and would have proinflammatory inhibition for COVID-19 treatment. METHODS SARS-CoV-2 and its variants infected several cell lines were applied to evaluate the anti-CoVs activities of alisol B 23-aceate in vitro. The effects of alisol B 23-acetate on in vivo models were assessed by using SARS-CoV-2 and its variants challenged hamster and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) transgenic mice. The target of alisol B 23-acetate to ACE2 was analyzed using hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) mass spectrometry (MS). RESULTS Alisol B 23-acetate had inhibitory effects on different species of coronavirus. By using HDX-MS, we found that alisol B 23-acetate had inhibition potency toward ACE2. In vivo experiments showed that alisol B 23-acetate treatment remarkably decreased viral copy, reduced CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD11b+ macrophages infiltration and ameliorated lung damages in the hamster model. In Omicron variant infected human ACE2 transgenic mice, alisol B 23-acetate effectively alleviated viral load in nasal turbinate and reduced proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 17 (IL17) and interferon γ (IFNγ) in peripheral blood. The prophylactic treatment of alisol B 23-acetate by intranasal administration significantly attenuated Omicron viral load in the hamster lung tissues. Moreover, alisol B 23-acetate treatment remarkably inhibited proinflammatory responses through mitigating the secretions of IFNγ and IL17 in the cultured human and mice lymphocytes in vitro. CONCLUSION Alisol B 23-acetate could be a promising therapeutic agent for COVID-19 treatment and its underlying mechanisms might be attributed to viral entry inhibition and anti-inflammatory activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaohui Du
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 3 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Ronghui Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Meiling Wu
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 3 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Minxiao Yang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 3 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Yubin Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Qing Liu
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 3 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Kaiming Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Xiang Lin
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 3 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Shuofeng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
| | - Jiangang Shen
- School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 3 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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4
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Zhang Y, Wang D, Wang X, Ma H, Liu Y, Hong Z, Zhu Z, Chen X, Lv D, Cao Y, Chai Y. A dual-target SPR screening system for simultaneous ligand discovery of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its receptor ACE2 from Chinese herbs. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2024; 245:116142. [PMID: 38631070 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a supremely valuable resource for the development of drug discovery. Few methods are capable of hunting for potential molecule ligands from TCM towards more than one single protein target. In this study, a novel dual-target surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor was developed to perform targeted compound screening of two key proteins involved in the cellular invasion process of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): the spike (S) protein receptor binding domain (RBD) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The screening and identification of active compounds from six Chinese herbs were conducted taking into consideration the multi-component and multi-target nature of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Puerarin from Radix Puerariae Lobatae was discovered to exhibit specific binding affinity to both S protein RBD and ACE2. The results highlight the efficiency of the dual-target SPR system in drug screening and provide a novel approach for exploring the targeted mechanisms of active components from Chinese herbs for disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Dongyao Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiying Wang
- Suzhou Innovation Center of Shanghai University, Suzhou 215127, China
| | - Huilin Ma
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yue Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhanying Hong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhenyu Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Center for Instrumental Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiaofei Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Center for Instrumental Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Diya Lv
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Center for Instrumental Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
| | - Yan Cao
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
| | - Yifeng Chai
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Metabolite Research, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
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5
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Fu X, Du B, Chen PA, Shama A, Chen B, Zhang X, Han X, Xu Y, Gong Y, Zeng X, Sun C, Yang W, Xing X, Li Z, Fu Y, Ke D, Wang N, Xia Y, Sun Y, Chen Q. Exploring the impact of gut microbial metabolites on inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine efficacy during pregnancy and mother-to-infant antibody transfer. Gut 2024; 73:1397-1400. [PMID: 37739779 PMCID: PMC11287518 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-330497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xi Fu
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Bingqian Du
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Pei-An Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Aga Shama
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Baolan Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xue Han
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yingxia Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yajie Gong
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xia Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Chongzhen Sun
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenhan Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaohui Xing
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhongjun Li
- Dongguan People's Hospital, Dongguan, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanyan Fu
- Guangzhou Baiyun District Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongyun Ke
- Guangzhou Baiyun District Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Niping Wang
- Guangzhou Baiyun District Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yun Xia
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu Sun
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Function and Regulation in Agricultural Organisms, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qingsong Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Public Health Detection and Assessment, NMPA Key Laboratory for Technology Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Schoold of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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6
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do Socorro Costa M, da Silva ARP, Santos Araújo J, Dos Santos ATL, Fonseca VJA, Gonçalves Alencar G, Moura TF, Gonçalves SA, Filho JMB, Morais-Braga MFB, Andrade-Pinheiro JC, Coutinho HDM. In vitro Evaluation of Fungal Susceptibility and Inhibition of Virulence by Diosgenin. Chem Biodivers 2024; 21:e202400444. [PMID: 38670923 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202400444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Fungal infections are a public health problem that mainly affects immunosuppressed people, Candida spp. have been responsible for most sources of contamination and invasive fungal infections described around the world. The need arises to find new therapeutic approaches to combat growing infections. Plants and natural products have been considered a valuable source for discovering new molecules with active ingredients. Diosgenin is a sapogenin found in the families of Leguminosae and Dioscoreaceae, it is obtained mainly from the dioscin saponin through the hydrolysis method, it is a phytochemical that has been highlighted in the treatment of various diseases, as well as in combating microbial resistance. The present study aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of fungal strains to diosgenin, as well as verify the association with the reference drug and evaluate the inhibition of the virulence factor through morphological changes in the yeast state to the filamentous form of hyphae and pseudohyphae in strains of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei using the broth microdilution method and microculture technique. Antifungal assays revealed that diosgenin was not able to inhibit the growth of the tested strains. However, it was able to inhibit the fungal dimorphism of the strains evaluated, however further studies are recommended to verify its effectiveness against other virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria do Socorro Costa
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology- LMBM, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Ana Raquel Pereira da Silva
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology- LMBM, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Juliana Santos Araújo
- Laboratory of Applied Microbiology -, LAMAP, Federal University of Cariri, Barbalha, Ceará, Brazil
| | | | | | - Gabriel Gonçalves Alencar
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology- LMBM, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Talysson Felismino Moura
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology- LMBM, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Sheila Alves Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology- LMBM, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - José Maria Barbosa Filho
- Laboratory Technology Pharmaceutical, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
| | | | - Jacqueline Cosmo Andrade-Pinheiro
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Molecular Biology- LMBM, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
- Laboratory of Applied Microbiology -, LAMAP, Federal University of Cariri, Barbalha, Ceará, Brazil
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7
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Triaa N, Znati M, Ben Jannet H, Bouajila J. Biological Activities of Novel Oleanolic Acid Derivatives from Bioconversion and Semi-Synthesis. Molecules 2024; 29:3091. [PMID: 38999041 PMCID: PMC11243203 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29133091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Oleanolic acid (OA) is a vegetable chemical that is present naturally in a number of edible and medicinal botanicals. It has been extensively studied by medicinal chemists and scientific researchers due to its biological activity against a wide range of diseases. A significant number of researchers have synthesized a variety of analogues of OA by modifying its structure with the intention of creating more potent biological agents and improving its pharmaceutical properties. In recent years, chemical and enzymatic techniques have been employed extensively to investigate and modify the chemical structure of OA. This review presents recent advancements in medical chemistry for the structural modification of OA, with a special focus on the biotransformation, semi-synthesis and relationship between the modified structures and their biopharmaceutical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahla Triaa
- Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products Team, Laboratory of Heterocyclic Chemistry, Natural Products and Reactivity (LR11ES39), Faculty of Science of Monastir, University of Monastir, Avenue of Environment, Monastir 5019, Tunisia; (N.T.); (M.Z.)
- Laboratoire de Génie Chimique, Université Paul Sabatier, CNRS, INPT, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Mansour Znati
- Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products Team, Laboratory of Heterocyclic Chemistry, Natural Products and Reactivity (LR11ES39), Faculty of Science of Monastir, University of Monastir, Avenue of Environment, Monastir 5019, Tunisia; (N.T.); (M.Z.)
| | - Hichem Ben Jannet
- Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products Team, Laboratory of Heterocyclic Chemistry, Natural Products and Reactivity (LR11ES39), Faculty of Science of Monastir, University of Monastir, Avenue of Environment, Monastir 5019, Tunisia; (N.T.); (M.Z.)
| | - Jalloul Bouajila
- Laboratoire de Génie Chimique, Université Paul Sabatier, CNRS, INPT, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
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8
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Guo Y, Han Z, Zhang J, Lu Y, Li C, Liu G. Development of a high-speed and ultrasensitive UV/Vis-CM for detecting total triterpenes in traditional Chinese medicine and its application. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32239. [PMID: 38882362 PMCID: PMC11180301 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
This study proposes a novel colorimetric method based on the ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry-colorimetric method (UV/Vis-CM) for detecting and quantifying total triterpenoids in traditional Chinese medicine. By incorporating the colourants 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde and concentrated sulfuric acid, triterpenoid compounds colour development became more sensitive, and the detection accuracy was significantly improved. 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde and concentrated sulfuric acid were incorporated in a 1:3 vol ratio at room temperature to react with the total triterpenes for 25 min, incorporated to an ice bath for 5 min, and then detected at the optimal absorption wavelength. The accuracy and reliability of this method were verified by comparison with high-performance liquid chromatography and four other colorimetric methods. Additionally, this approach has the advantages of not requiring heating during operation, high sensitivity, short usage time, low solvent usage, and low equipment costs. This study not only offers a reliable method for detecting total triterpenes in traditional Chinese medicine but also offers a rapid detection tool for on-site testing and large-scale screening, laying a foundation for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine research, quality control, and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Zhe Han
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Jingwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yue Lu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Chunfeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Guiyan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
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Latarissa IR, Meiliana A, Sormin IP, Sugiono E, Wathoni N, Barliana MI, Lestari K. The efficacy of herbal medicines on the length of stay and negative conversion time/rate outcomes in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1383359. [PMID: 38873430 PMCID: PMC11169809 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1383359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction In recent years, diverse initiatives have been carried out to control the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from measures restricting social activities to analyzing drugs and vaccines. Studies on herbal medicines are also increasingly conducted in various countries as an adjuvant therapy or supplement. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to investigate the efficacy of herbal medicines analyzed from various countries through clinical trials with the randomized controlled trial method. The outcomes of Length of Stay (LOS), Negative Conversion Time (NCT), and Negative Conversion Rate (NCR) were the main focus. Methods An extensive review of literature spanning from 2019 to 2023 was carried out using well-known databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane. The search included relevant keywords such as "randomized controlled trial," "COVID-19," and "herbal medicine." Results A total of 8 articles were part of the inclusion criteria with outcomes of LOS, NCT, and NCR. In terms of LOS outcomes, all types of herbal medicines showed significant results, such as Persian Medicine Herbal (PM Herbal), Persian Barley Water (PBW), Jingyin Granules (JY granules), Reduning Injection, and Phyllanthus emblica (Amla). However, only JY granules showed significant results in NCR outcome, while JY granules and Reduning Injection showed significant results in reducing NCT. Conclusion These findings enrich our understanding of the potential benefits of herbal medicines in influencing LOS, NCR and NCT parameters in COVID-19 patients. Herbal medicines worked to treat COVID-19 through antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma Rahayu Latarissa
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia
| | | | - Ida Paulina Sormin
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of 17 August 1945 Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Prodia Diacro Laboratory, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Nasrul Wathoni
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Melisa Intan Barliana
- Department of Biological Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Care Innovation, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Keri Lestari
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Care Innovation, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia
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10
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Ji X, Liu N, Huang S, Zhang C. A Comprehensive Review of Licorice: The Preparation, Chemical Composition, Bioactivities and Its Applications. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE 2024; 52:667-716. [PMID: 38716617 DOI: 10.1142/s0192415x24500289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza) is a medicinal and food homologue of perennial plants derived from the dried roots and rhizomes of the genus Glycyrrhiza in the legume family. In recent years, the comprehensive utilization of licorice resources has attracted people's attention. It is widely utilized to treat diseases, health food products, food production, and other industrial applications. Furthermore, numerous bioactive components of licorice are found using advanced extraction processes, which mainly include polyphenols (flavonoids, dihydrostilbenes, benzofurans, and coumarin), triterpenoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids, and volatile oils, all of which have been reported to possess a variety of pharmacological characteristics, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, neuroprotective, antidepressive, antidiabetic, antiparasitic, antisex hormone, skin effects, anticariogenic, antitussive, and expectorant activities. Thereby, all of these compounds promote the development of novel and more effective licorice-derived products. This paper reviews the progress of research on extraction techniques, chemical composition, bioactivities, and applications of licorice to provide a reference for further development and application of licorice in different areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Ji
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Welfare and Health Breeding, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, P. R. China
- Henan Engineering Research Center of Livestock and Poultry, Emerging Disease Detection and Control, Luoyang 471023, P. R. China
| | - Ning Liu
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Welfare and Health Breeding, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, P. R. China
- Henan Engineering Research Center of Livestock and Poultry, Emerging Disease Detection and Control, Luoyang 471023, P. R. China
| | - Shucheng Huang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, P. R. China
| | - Cai Zhang
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Welfare and Health Breeding, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, P. R. China
- Henan Engineering Research Center of Livestock and Poultry, Emerging Disease Detection and Control, Luoyang 471023, P. R. China
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11
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Ma Y, Zhao Y, Luo M, Jiang Q, Liu S, Jia Q, Bai Z, Wu F, Xie J. Advancements and challenges in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic research on the traditional Chinese medicine saponins: a comprehensive review. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1393409. [PMID: 38774213 PMCID: PMC11106373 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1393409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent research on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) saponin pharmacokinetics has revealed transformative breakthroughs and challenges. The multicomponent nature of TCM makes it difficult to select representative indicators for pharmacokinetic studies. The clinical application of saponins is limited by their low bioavailability and short half-life, resulting in fluctuating plasma concentrations. Future directions should focus on novel saponin compounds utilizing colon-specific delivery and osmotic pump systems to enhance oral bioavailability. Optimizing drug combinations, such as ginsenosides with aspirin, shows therapeutic potential. Rigorous clinical validation is essential for practical applications. This review emphasizes a transformative era in saponin research, highlighting the need for clinical validation. TCM saponin pharmacokinetics, guided by traditional principles, are in development, utilizing multidisciplinary approaches for a comprehensive understanding. This research provides a theoretical basis for new clinical drugs and supports rational clinical medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Yongxia Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Mingxia Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Qin Jiang
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Sha Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Qi Jia
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Zhixun Bai
- Organ Transplant Center, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Faming Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Jian Xie
- School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- School of Preclinical Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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12
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Mattioli LB, Frosini M, Corazza I, Fiorino S, Zippi M, Micucci M, Budriesi R. Long COVID-19 gastrointestinal related disorders and traditional Chinese medicine: A network target-based approach. Phytother Res 2024; 38:2323-2346. [PMID: 38421118 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.8163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The significant number of individuals impacted by the pandemic makes prolonged symptoms after COVID-19 a matter of considerable concern. These are numerous and affect multiple organ systems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), prolonged gastrointestinal issues are a crucial part of post-COVID-19 syndrome. The resulting disruption of homeostasis underscores the need for a therapeutic approach based on compounds that can simultaneously affect more than one target/node. The present review aimed to check for nutraceuticals possessing multiple molecular mechanisms helpful in relieving Long COVID-19-specific gastrointestinal symptoms. Specific plants used in Keywords Chinese Medicine (TCM) expected to be included in the WHO Global Medical Compendium were selected based on the following criteria: (1) they are widely used in the Western world as natural remedies and complementary medicine adjuvants; (2) their import and trade are regulated by specific laws that ensure quality and safety (3) have the potential to be beneficial in alleviating intestinal issues associated with Long COVID-19. Searches were performed in PubMed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, and ResearchGate up to 2023. Cinnamomum cassia, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Magnolia officinalis, Poria cocos, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Zingiber officinalis were identified as the most promising for their potential impact on inflammation and oxidative stress. Based on the molecular mechanisms of the phytocomplexes and isolated compounds of the considered plants, their clinical use may lead to benefits in gastrointestinal diseases associated with Long COVID-19, thanks to a multiorgan and multitarget approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Beatrice Mattioli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Food Chemistry and Nutraceutical Lab, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Frosini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Ivan Corazza
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sirio Fiorino
- Internal Medicine Unit, Azienda USL, Budrio Hospital, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maddalena Zippi
- Unit of Gastroenterology & Digestive Endoscopy, Sandro Pertini Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Micucci
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Urbino, Italy
| | - Roberta Budriesi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Food Chemistry and Nutraceutical Lab, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Bai W, Zhu Q, Wang J, Jiang L, Guo D, Li C, Xing X, Sun D. Licorice extract inhibits porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in vitro and in vivo. J Gen Virol 2024; 105:001964. [PMID: 38471043 PMCID: PMC10999743 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes severe diarrhea and even death in piglets, resulting in significant economic losses to the pig industry. Because of the ongoing mutation of PEDV, there might be variations between the vaccine strain and the prevailing strain, causing the vaccine to not offer full protection against different PEDV variant strains. Therefore, it is necessary to develop anti-PEDV drugs to compensate for vaccines. This study confirmed the anti-PEDV effect of licorice extract (Le) in vitro and in vivo. Le inhibited PEDV replication in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. By exploring the effect of Le on the life cycle of PEDV, we found that Le inhibited the attachment, internalization, and replication stages of the virus. In vivo, all five piglets in the PEDV-infected group died within 72 h. In comparison, the Le-treated group had a survival rate of 80 % at the same time, with significant relief of clinical symptoms, pathological damage, and viral loads in the jejunum and ileum. Our results suggested that Le can exert anti-PEDV effects in vitro and in vivo. Le is effective and inexpensive; therefore it has the potential to be developed as a new anti-PEDV drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfei Bai
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
| | - Qinghe Zhu
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
| | - Jun Wang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
| | - Limin Jiang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
| | - Donghua Guo
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
| | - Chunqiu Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
| | - Xiaoxu Xing
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
| | - Dongbo Sun
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, No. 5 Xinfeng Road, Sartu District, Daqing 163319, PR China
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14
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Zhang Y, Lu J, Chang T, Tang X, Wang Q, Pan D, Wang J, Nan H, Zhang W, Liu L, Qi B. A bibliometric review of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (licorice) research: Insights and future directions. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 321:117409. [PMID: 37972909 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, a Chinese herb known as licorice, is frequently incorporated in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulations, due to its significant medicinal value and sweet taste. Despite licorice's merits, no systematic scientometric study has yet been conducted to analyze licorice research trends over the past 25 years. AIM OF THE STUDY We conducted this study with the aim to provide researchers with a comprehensive overview of research advances in the application of licorice as a TCM ingredient and to offer valuable insights to guide future endeavors in this research field. METHODS We selected licorice-related research papers published between 1997 and 2021 from the Web of Science Core Collection then conducted a scientometric analysis using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software tools. RESULTS A total of 4883 licorice-related publications, including 4511 research papers, 372 review papers, and their cited references, were included in the analysis. Most of these articles were authored by researchers in China (36.8%), including major contributors Wang Ying, Ye Min, and Zhang Yu. The Journal of Ethnopharmacology (impact factor = 5.4) hosted the greatest number of papers (145 articles). Keyword cluster analysis revealed three keyword categories indicating that current licorice research is focused on licorice quality control and identification of licorice active ingredients and associated pharmacological mechanisms. CONCLUSION This study provides a comprehensive overview of licorice-related research trends over the past 25 years as based on quantitative and qualitative analyses of published licorice-related articles. The results of this multi-level analysis of licorice research related to TCM formulations, chemical compositions, and pharmacological effects should provide valuable reference data and insights to guide future research endeavors in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushan Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Jing Lu
- Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130021, China; College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Tianying Chang
- EBM Office, The Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, China.
| | - Xiaolei Tang
- Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130021, China.
| | - Qing Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Daian Pan
- Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130021, China; Northeast Asia Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Encephalopathy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Hongmei Nan
- Department of Encephalopathy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Wei Zhang
- Northeast Asia Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Li Liu
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Bin Qi
- College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China.
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Li J, Liu F, Wu F, Su X, Zhang L, Zhao X, Shang C, Han L, Zhang Y, Xiao Z, Zhou W. Inhibition of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants entry by Lycium barbarum L. polysaccharides through disruption of spike protein-ACE2 interaction. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 261:129785. [PMID: 38286372 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Viral respiratory infections are major human health concerns. The most striking epidemic disease, COVID-19 is still on going with the emergence of fast mutations and drug resistance of pathogens. A few polysaccharide macromolecules from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been found to have direct anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the entry inhibition effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) in vitro and in vivo. We found LBP effectively suppressed multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants entry and protected K18-hACE2 mice from invasion with Omicron pseudovirus (PsV). Moreover, we found LBP interfered with early entry events during infection in time-of-addition (TOA) assay and SEM observation. Further surface plasmon resonance (SPR) study revealed the dual binding of LBP with Spike protein and ACE2, which resulted in the disruption of Spike-ACE2 interaction and subsequently triggered membrane fusion. Therefore, LBP may act as broad-spectrum inhibitors of virus entry and nasal mucosal protective agent against newly emerging respiratory viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxuan Li
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Feng Liu
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Fushan Wu
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Xiaoyue Su
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Lihui Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Xueru Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Chao Shang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CASS), Changchun 130122, China
| | - Lu Han
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Yongxiang Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China.
| | - Zhiyong Xiao
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China.
| | - Wenxia Zhou
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China.
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Szabó D, Crowe A, Mamotte C, Strappe P. Natural products as a source of Coronavirus entry inhibitors. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1353971. [PMID: 38449827 PMCID: PMC10915212 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1353971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and lasting impact on the world. Four years on, despite the existence of effective vaccines, the continuous emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants remains a challenge for long-term immunity. Additionally, there remain few purpose-built antivirals to protect individuals at risk of severe disease in the event of future coronavirus outbreaks. A promising mechanism of action for novel coronavirus antivirals is the inhibition of viral entry. To facilitate entry, the coronavirus spike glycoprotein interacts with angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on respiratory epithelial cells. Blocking this interaction and consequently viral replication may be an effective strategy for treating infection, however further research is needed to better characterize candidate molecules with antiviral activity before progressing to animal studies and clinical trials. In general, antiviral drugs are developed from purely synthetic compounds or synthetic derivatives of natural products such as plant secondary metabolites. While the former is often favored due to the higher specificity afforded by rational drug design, natural products offer several unique advantages that make them worthy of further study including diverse bioactivity and the ability to work synergistically with other drugs. Accordingly, there has recently been a renewed interest in natural product-derived antivirals in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This review provides a summary of recent research into coronavirus entry inhibitors, with a focus on natural compounds derived from plants, honey, and marine sponges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dávid Szabó
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Andrew Crowe
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Cyril Mamotte
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
| | - Padraig Strappe
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia
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17
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Xu Y, Bao L, Cao S, Pang B, Zhang J, Zhang Y, Chen M, Wang Y, Sun Q, Zhao R, Guo S, Sun J, Cui X. Pharmacological effects and mechanism of Maxing Shigan decoction in the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 320:117424. [PMID: 37984543 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Maxing Shigan Decoction (MXSG) is a traditional Chinese Medicine effectively used in respiratory infections and bacterial pneumonia. However, the mechanism of MXSG treating acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) pneumonia is still unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of MXSG on acute P. aeruginosa pneumonia and explore its potential mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS HPLC-MS analysis was performed to analyze the chemical composition. Antibacterial effects in vitro were evaluated by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Forty-five male BALB/c mice were divided into control group, model group, levofloxacin group, MXSG-L (7.7 g/kg/d), and MXSG-H group (15.4 g/kg/d). Mice were intranasal instillation with P. aeruginosa to induce acute P. aeruginosa pneumonia model. Levofloxacin and MXSG were administered by oral gavage once a day. After 3 days of treatment, the lung index measurement, micro-CT, arterial blood gas analysis, bacteria load determination, and HE staining were performed. Network pharmacological analysis and transcriptome sequencing were employed to predict the potential mechanisms of MXSG on bacterial pneumonia. The expressions of relating genes were detected by immunofluorescence, Western blot, and RT-PCR. RESULTS In vitro, MIC of P. aeruginosa is greater than 500 mg/mL. In the treatment of acute P. aeruginosa pneumonia model, MXSG significantly improved body weight loss, lung index, and pulmonary lesions. MXSG treatment also reduced the bacterial load and ameliorated oxygen saturation significantly. Transcriptomes, immunofluorescence, Western blot, and RT-PCR analysis showed MXSG treating acute P. aeruginosa pneumonia through the IL-17 signaling pathway and HIF-1α/IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated the efficacy and mechanism of MXSG in the treatment of acute P. aeruginosa pneumonia, which provides a scientific basis for its clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingli Xu
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Lei Bao
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Shan Cao
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Bo Pang
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Jingsheng Zhang
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Yu Zhang
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Mengping Chen
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Yaxin Wang
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Qiyue Sun
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Ronghua Zhao
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Shanshan Guo
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Jing Sun
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiaolan Cui
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
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18
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Al Ashmawy AZG, Balata GF. Formulation and in vitro characterization of nanoemulsions containing remdesivir or licorice extract: A potential subcutaneous injection for coronavirus treatment. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2024; 234:113703. [PMID: 38096607 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2023.113703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The management of coronavirus necessitates that medicines are available, reasonably priced, and easy to administer. The work aimed at formulating and characterizing remdesivir and licorice extract nanoemulsions and comparing their efficacy against coronavirus for further subcutaneous injection. First, the solubility of remdesivir was determined in different oils, surfactants, and co-surfactants to choose the optimal nanoemulsion components. Nanoemulsions were optimized concerning surfactant: co-surfactant ratio (5:1, 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1) and oil to surfactant: co-surfactant ratio (1:9, 1:8, 1:7, 1:6, 1:5, 1:4, 1:3, 1:2, and 1:1). The formulations were evaluated concerning % transmittance, emulsification time, pH, viscosity, droplet size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, drug content, transmission electron microscopy, in-vitro drug release, stability (of the optimal formulas), and antiviral effect against coronavirus. The optimal nanoemulsion formula was F7, exhibiting an acceptable pH level, a rapid emulsification rate, a viscosity of 20 cP, and 100% drug content. The formulation droplet size was 16 and 17 nm, the polydispersity index was 0.18 and 0.26, and the zeta potential was - 6.29 and - 10.34 mV for licorice extract and remdesivir nanoemulsions, respectively. However, licorice extract nanoemulsion exhibited better release and physical stability. Licorice extract nanoemulsion may be a potential subcutaneous injection for combating mild to moderate coronavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Al Zahraa G Al Ashmawy
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo 11785, Egypt.
| | - Gehan F Balata
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt; Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo 11785, Egypt
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19
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Petrova A, Tretyakova E, Khusnutdinova E, Kazakova O, Slita A, Zarubaev V, Ma X, Jin H, Xu H, Xiao S. Antiviral opportunities of Mannich bases derived from triterpenic N-propargylated indoles. Chem Biol Drug Des 2024; 103:e14370. [PMID: 37802645 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.14370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Oleanolic and glycyrrhetic acids alkyne derivatives were synthesized as a result of propargylation of the indole NH-group condensed with the triterpene A-ring, the following aminomethylation led to a series of Mannich bases. The synthesized compounds were tested for their potential inhibition of influenza A/PuertoRico/8/34 (H1N1) virus in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell culture and SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus in baby hamster kidney-21-human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (BHK-21-hACE2) cells. Mannich bases of oleanolic and glycyrrhetic acids N-propargylated indoles 7, 8, and 12 were the most efficacious against influenza virus A with IC50 7-10 μM together with a low toxicity (CC50 > 145 μM) and high selectivity index SI value 20. Indolo-oleanolic acid morpholine amide Mannich base holding N-methylpiperazine moiety 9 showed anti-SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus activity with EC50 value of 14.8 μM. Molecular docking and dynamics modeling investigated the binding mode of the compounds 7 and 12 into the binding pocket of influenza A virus M2 protein and compound 9 into the RBD domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Oxana Kazakova
- Ufa Institute of Chemistry UFRC RAS, Ufa, Russian Federation
| | - Alexander Slita
- Department of Virology, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Experimental Virology Laboratory, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Vladimir Zarubaev
- Department of Virology, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Experimental Virology Laboratory, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Xinyuan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hongwei Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Huan Xu
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Sulong Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Institute of Chemical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
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20
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Li T, Yan Z, Zhou W, Liu Q, Liu J, Hua H. Discovery of a Potential Allosteric Site in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Targeting Allosteric Inhibitor to Stabilize the RBD Down State using a Computational Approach. Curr Comput Aided Drug Des 2024; 20:784-797. [PMID: 37493168 DOI: 10.2174/1573409919666230726142418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a worldwide public health crisis. At present, the development of effective drugs and/or related therapeutics is still the most urgent and important task for combating the virus. The viral entry and associated infectivity mainly rely on its envelope spike protein to recognize and bind to the host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) through a conformational switch of the spike receptor binding domain (RBD) from inactive to active state. Thus, it is of great significance to design an allosteric inhibitor targeting spike to lock it in the inactive and ACE2-inaccessible state. OBJECTIVE This study aims to discover the potential broad-spectrum allosteric inhibitors capable of binding and stabilizing the diverse spike variants, including the wild type, Delta, and Omicron, in the inactive RBD down state. METHODS In this work, we first detected a potential allosteric pocket within the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Then, we performed large-scale structure-based virtual screening by targeting the putative allosteric pocket to identify allosteric inhibitors that could stabilize the spike inactive state. Molecular dynamics simulations were further carried out to evaluate the effects of compound binding on the stability of spike RBD. RESULTS Finally, we identified three potential allosteric inhibitors, CPD3, CPD5, and CPD6, against diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Wild-type, Delta, and Omicron variants. Our simulation results showed that the three compounds could stably bind the predicted allosteric site and effectively stabilize the spike in the inactive state. CONCLUSION The three compounds provide novel chemical structures for rational drug design targeting spike protein, which is expected to greatly assist in the development of new drugs against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Li
- School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Zheng Yan
- The Affiliated Jiangyin Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangyin 214400, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Qun Liu
- School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Jinfeng Liu
- School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Haibing Hua
- The Affiliated Jiangyin Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangyin 214400, China
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21
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Wang D, Yang L, Ding W, Chen Z, Yang X, Jiang Y, Liu Y. Licochalcone A alleviates abnormal glucolipid metabolism and restores energy homeostasis in diet-induced diabetic mice. Phytother Res 2024; 38:196-213. [PMID: 37850242 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.8044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Licochalcone A (LCA) is a bioactive chalcone compound identified in licorice. This study aimed to investigate the effects of LCA on glucolipid metabolism and energy homeostasis, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Blood glucose levels, oral glucose tolerance, serum parameters, and histopathology were examined in high-fat-high-glucose diet (HFD)-induced diabetic mice, with metformin as a positive control. Additionally, changes in key markers related to glucolipid metabolism and mitochondrial function were analyzed to comprehensively assess LCA's effects on metabolism. The results showed that LCA alleviated metabolic abnormalities in HFD-induced diabetic mice, which were manifested by suppression of lipogenesis, promotion of lipolysis, reduction of hepatic steatosis, increase in hepatic glycogenesis, and decrease in gluconeogenesis. In addition, LCA restored energy homeostasis by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis, enhancing mitophagy, and reducing adenosine triphosphate production. Mechanistically, the metabolic benefits of LCA were associated with the downregulation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 and activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, the two central regulators of metabolism. This study demonstrates that LCA can alleviate abnormal glucolipid metabolism and restore energy balance in diet-induced diabetic mice, highlighting its therapeutical potential for the treatment of diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doudou Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Wenwen Ding
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyi Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxue Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Jiang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ying Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
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22
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Zhao Y, Jiang M, Liu M, Wang H, Wang W, Zhang T, Tian X, Hong L, Yang F, Wang Y, Zou Y, Yu H, Li Z, Yang W. Spatial Distribution and Characterization of the Small-Molecule Metabolites and In Situ Hydrolyzed Oligosaccharides in the Rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis by Desorption Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry Imaging and High-Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:20372-20385. [PMID: 38055271 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c04996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Characterization and spatial distribution studies of the metabolome in plants are crucial for revealing the physiology of plants and developing functional foods. Using the rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis as a case, we integrated desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) and high-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry approaches aimed at characterizing and locating both the small molecules and the macromolecular polysaccharides. Under the optimal conditions, 21 flavonoids and 12 triterpenoids were detected and characterized in different tissues of the rhizome and another 19 components were characterized exclusively by DESI-MSI. Combined with hydrophilic interaction chromatography/ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, eight different degrees of polymerization of oligosaccharides (after in situ acid hydrolysis) were characterized from the rhizome of G. uralensis. Majority of these metabolites are located in the cortex, phloem, and medulla, which lays the foundation for understanding the physiology of G. uralensis. The useful information can benefit the sustainable utilization and further development of Glycyrrhiza resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Zhao
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Therapeutic Substance of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Meiting Jiang
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Meiyu Liu
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Hongda Wang
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Tian
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Lili Hong
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Feifei Yang
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Yadan Zou
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Heshui Yu
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- College of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Zheng Li
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- College of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
| | - Wenzhi Yang
- Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Therapeutic Substance of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 10 Poyanghu Road, Tianjin 301617, China
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23
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Wimmerová M, Bildziukevich U, Wimmer Z. Selected Plant Triterpenoids and Their Derivatives as Antiviral Agents. Molecules 2023; 28:7718. [PMID: 38067449 PMCID: PMC10707653 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28237718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The results of the most recent investigation of triterpenoid-based antiviral agents namely in the HIV-1 and HSV-1 treatment were reviewed and summarized. Several key historical achievements are included to stress consequences and continuity in this research. Most of the agents studied belong to a series of compounds derived from betulin or betulinic acid, and their synthetic derivative is called bevirimat. A termination of clinical trials of bevirimat in Phase IIb initiated a search for more successful compounds partly derived from bevirimat or designed independently of bevirimat structure. Surprisingly, a majority of bevirimat mimics are derivatives of betulinic acid, while other plant triterpenoids, such as ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, or other miscellaneous triterpenoids, are relatively rarely involved in a search for a novel antiviral agent. Therefore, this review article is divided into three parts based on the leading triterpenoid core structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Wimmerová
- Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds, University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Technická 5, 16028 Prague, Czech Republic;
- Isotope Laboratory, Institute of Experimental Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Uladzimir Bildziukevich
- Isotope Laboratory, Institute of Experimental Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Zdeněk Wimmer
- Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds, University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Technická 5, 16028 Prague, Czech Republic;
- Isotope Laboratory, Institute of Experimental Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic;
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24
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Alikiaie B, Shalamzari SMH, Soltani R, Yegdaneh A, Mousavi S. Efficacy of Licorice as Adjunctive Therapy in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Clinical Trial. J Res Pharm Pract 2023; 12:141-147. [PMID: 39262414 PMCID: PMC11386065 DOI: 10.4103/jrpp.jrpp_22_24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective There is no definitive pharmacological strategy for COVID-19; thus, medicinal herbs can be an appropriate option for COVID-19 management. We investigated the efficacy of a D-reglis® tablet (root extract of licorice) as adjuvant therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19 at intensive care units (ICUs) of Alzahra Teaching Hospital affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Methods In the present double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, critically ill cases with COVID-19 (n = 52) received a D-reglis® tablet (760 mg) or a placebo tablet for 5 days. The ICU stay length was the primary outcome. The secondary outcome included the changes in oxygen saturation, duration of mechanical ventilation, mortality rate, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score during the study period. Findings The ICU stay was significantly lower in the licorice group than in the placebo group (P = 0.015). No significant difference was detected between the groups regarding oxygen saturation, SOFA score, duration of mechanical ventilation, and mortality rate. Conclusion The licorice tablet (D-reglis®) as an adjuvant treatment showed promising results regarding the ICU stay length in critically ill COVID-19 patients. However, further clinical trials with larger sample sizes, further duration of intervention, measurement of inflammatory markers, and further study about the molecular mechanism of the effect of licorice on COVID-19 should be done to obtain more conclusive findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Alikiaie
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Alzahra Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | | | - Rasool Soltani
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Afsaneh Yegdaneh
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Sarah Mousavi
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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25
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Wen X, Xie W, Gao J, Zhang D, Yang M, Zhang Z, Du Y, Jin Y. Systematically uncovering the absorbed effective substances of Radix Scutellaria-licorice drug pair in rat plasma against COVID-19 using a combined UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis and target network pharmacology. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289121. [PMID: 37556490 PMCID: PMC10411761 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Radix Scutellaria-Licorice drug pair (RSLDP), a frequently used herbal pair with the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, is the commonly employed drug pair in TCM prescriptions for the treatment of COVID-19. Until now, the metabolism feature and anti-COVID-19 mechanism of RSLDP have not been fully elucidated. In this study, a sensitive and rapid method was developed for the separation and identification of the absorbed constituents of RSLDP in the rat plasma by UHPLC-QTOF-MS. Additionally, we optimized the conventional methodologies of network pharmacology and proposed a new concept called target network pharmacology (T-NP). It used the absorbed constituents and the corresponding targets to generate a compound-target network, and compared to conventional network pharmacology, it could reduce false-positive results. A total of 85 absorbed constituents were identified or tentatively characterized in dosed plasma, including 32 components in the group of Radix Scutellaria, 27 components in the group of Licorice, and 65 components in the group of RSLDP. The results showed that the compatibility of Radix Scutellaria and Licorice increased the number of components in vivo. We found that 106 potential targets among the 61 active compounds in RSLDP were related to COVID-19. And 12 targets (STAT3, AKT1, EGFR, HSP9AA1, MAPK3, JUN, IL6, VEGFA, TNF, IL2, RELA, and STAT1) could be core targets for RSLDP in treating COVID-19. Results from these targets indicate that RSLDP treatment of COVID-19 mainly involves response to chemical stress, response to oxygenates, positive regulation of cytokines, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway for diabetic complications, virus-related pathways such as novel coronavirus and human cytomegalovirus infection, inflammatory immune-related pathways, and so on. The metabolism feature of RSLDP in vivo was systematically uncovered. The combined use of the T-NP method could discover potential drug targets and disclose the biological processes of RSLDP, which will clarify the potential mechanisms of RSLDP in the treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuqing Wen
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, P. R. China
| | - Weiwei Xie
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, P. R. China
| | - Juan Gao
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, P. R. China
| | - Dedong Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, P. R. China
| | - Mengxin Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050017, P. R. China
| | - Zhiqing Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, P. R. China
| | - Yingfeng Du
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050017, P. R. China
| | - Yiran Jin
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, P. R. China
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Mahrous RS, Fathy H, Ibrahim RS. Metabolic bioprofiling of different Glycyrrhiza glabra solvent fractions for the identification of anti-adenoviral compounds using LC-HRMS/MS and in-vitro cytopathic assay coupled with chemometry. BMC Complement Med Ther 2023; 23:259. [PMID: 37479993 PMCID: PMC10362705 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04063-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Human adenovirus type-7 (HAdV-7) is a common pathogen that may cause significant morbidity as well as severe complications. Currently, there is no approved drug for the treatment of HAdV-7 infections and the contemporary strategy mainly rely on nonspecific antivirals. Glycyrrhiza glabra; (licorice), is a well-recognized edible plant used in food and beverages. The plant is renowned for its pharmacological and biological activities including antiviral activities against wide range of viruses. The following study reported for the first time the anti-adenoviral activity of licorice extract using in-vitro cytopathic inhibitory assay. Different solvent fractions showed promising activity with IC50 reaching 1.431 μg/ml. Certain fractions had selectivity index (SI) greater than 10 indicating their efficacy together with relatively low cytotoxic effect. Metabolic profiling using LC-HRMS/MS resulted in identification of 41 compounds from licorice fractions. Chemometric modeling using Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures (OPLS) suggested the compounds; kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, violanthin, rhamnoliquiritin, isoliquiritigenin isomer, licoagroside B and liquiritin apioside as potential markers against (HAdV-7). Finally, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside was further confirmed via in-vitro adenovirus inhibitory assay to possess strong antiviral activity with IC50 and CC50 of 54.7 ± 1.93 μM and 655.7 ± 2.22 μM, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahma Sr Mahrous
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 1 el-Khartoum square Azarita, Alexandria, 21521, Egypt
| | - Hoda Fathy
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 1 el-Khartoum square Azarita, Alexandria, 21521, Egypt.
| | - Reham S Ibrahim
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 1 el-Khartoum square Azarita, Alexandria, 21521, Egypt
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27
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Smith DJ, Bi H, Hamman J, Ma X, Mitchell C, Nyirenda K, Monera-Penduka T, Oketch-Rabah H, Paine MF, Pettit S, Pheiffer W, Van Breemen RB, Embry M. Potential pharmacokinetic interactions with concurrent use of herbal medicines and a ritonavir-boosted COVID-19 protease inhibitor in low and middle-income countries. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1210579. [PMID: 37502215 PMCID: PMC10368978 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1210579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked the development of novel anti-viral drugs that have shown to be effective in reducing both fatality and hospitalization rates in patients with elevated risk for COVID-19 related morbidity or mortality. Currently, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid™) fixed-dose combination is recommended by the World Health Organization for treatment of COVID-19. The ritonavir component is an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A, which is used in this combination to achieve needed therapeutic concentrations of nirmatrelvir. Because of the critical pharmacokinetic effect of this mechanism of action for Paxlovid™, co-administration with needed medications that inhibit or induce CYP3A is contraindicated, reflecting concern for interactions with the potential to alter the efficacy or safety of co-administered drugs that are also metabolized by CYP3A. Some herbal medicines are known to interact with drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters, including but not limited to inhibition or induction of CYP3A and P-glycoprotein. As access to these COVID-19 medications has increased in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), understanding the potential for herb-drug interactions within these regions is important. Many studies have evaluated the utility of herbal medicines for COVID-19 treatments, yet information on potential herb-drug interactions involving Paxlovid™, specifically with herbal medicines commonly used in LMICs, is lacking. This review presents data on regionally-relevant herbal medicine use (particularly those promoted as treatments for COVID-19) and mechanism of action data on herbal medicines to highlight the potential for herbal medicine interaction Herb-drug interaction mediated by ritonavir-boosted antiviral protease inhibitors This work highlights potential areas for future experimental studies and data collection, identifies herbal medicines for inclusion in future listings of regionally diverse potential HDIs and underscores areas for LMIC-focused provider-patient communication. This overview is presented to support governments and health protection entities as they prepare for an increase of availability and use of Paxlovid™.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dallas J. Smith
- Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
- COVID-19 Response International Task Force, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Huichang Bi
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Josias Hamman
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen™), Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Xiaochao Ma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Constance Mitchell
- Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Kumbukani Nyirenda
- Department of Pharmacy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Tsitsi Monera-Penduka
- Research Unit for Safety of Herbs and Drugs, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | | | - Mary F. Paine
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, United States
| | - Syril Pettit
- Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Wihan Pheiffer
- DSI/NWU Preclinical Drug Development Platform, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Richard B. Van Breemen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Michelle Embry
- Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, Washington, DC, United States
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Yi Y, Li W, Liu K, Xue H, Yu R, Zhang M, Bao YO, Lai X, Fan J, Huang Y, Wang J, Shi X, Li J, Wei H, Xiang K, Li L, Zhang R, Zhao X, Qiao X, Yang H, Ye M. Licorice-saponin A3 is a broad-spectrum inhibitor for COVID-19 by targeting viral spike and anti-inflammation. J Pharm Anal 2023:S2095-1779(23)00099-0. [PMID: 37363744 PMCID: PMC10201890 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2023.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, human health due to corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been seriously threatened. The coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein plays a crucial role in virus transmission and several S-based therapeutic approaches have been approved for the treatment of COVID-19. However, the efficacy is compromised by the SARS-CoV-2 evolvement and mutation. Here we report the SARS-CoV-2 S protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) inhibitor licorice-saponin A3 (A3) could widely inhibit RBD of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Beta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1, XBB and BQ1.1. Furthermore, A3 could potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Omicron virus in Vero E6 cells, with EC50 of 1.016 μM. The mechanism was related with binding with Y453 of RBD determined by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) analysis combined with quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. Interestingly, phosphoproteomics analysis and multi fluorescent immunohistochemistry (mIHC) respectively indicated that A3 also inhibits host inflammation by directly modulating the JNK and p38 MAPK pathways and rebalancing the corresponding immune dysregulation. This work supports A3 as a promising broad-spectrum small molecule drug candidate for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Wenzhe Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Kefang Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Shenzhen Children's Hospital, 7019 Yitian Road, Shenzhen 518036, China
| | - Heng Xue
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yang-Oujie Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xinyuan Lai
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jingjing Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yuxi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiaomeng Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Junhua Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongping Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kuanhui Xiang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Linjie Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xue Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Hang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan 430000, China
| | - Min Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
- Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
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Halma MTJ, Plothe C, Marik P, Lawrie TA. Strategies for the Management of Spike Protein-Related Pathology. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1308. [PMID: 37317282 PMCID: PMC10222799 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, a need has arisen to prevent and treat two related conditions, COVID-19 vaccine injury and long COVID-19, both of which can trace at least part of their aetiology to the spike protein, which can cause harm through several mechanisms. One significant mechanism of harm is vascular, and it is mediated by the spike protein, a common element of the COVID-19 illness, and it is related to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Given the significant number of people experiencing these two related conditions, it is imperative to develop treatment protocols, as well as to consider the diversity of people experiencing long COVID-19 and vaccine injury. This review summarizes the known treatment options for long COVID-19 and vaccine injury, their mechanisms, and their evidentiary basis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christof Plothe
- Center for Biophysical Osteopathy, Am Wegweiser 27, 55232 Alzey, Germany
| | - Paul Marik
- Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), 2001 L St. NW Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036, USA;
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30
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Zuo J, Meng T, Wang Y, Tang W. A Review of the Antiviral Activities of Glycyrrhizic Acid, Glycyrrhetinic Acid and Glycyrrhetinic Acid Monoglucuronide. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16050641. [PMID: 37242424 DOI: 10.3390/ph16050641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Licorice, a natural medicine derived from the roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza species, possesses a wide range of therapeutic applications, including antiviral properties. Glycyrrhizic acid (GL) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) are the most important active ingredients in licorice. Glycyrrhetinic acid 3-O-mono-β-d-glucuronide (GAMG) is the active metabolite of GL. GL and its metabolites have a wide range of antiviral activities against viruses, such as, the hepatitis virus, herpes virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and so on. Although their antiviral activity has been widely reported, the specific mechanism of action involving multiple links such as the virus itself, cells, and immunity are not clearly established. In this review, we will give an update on the role of GL and its metabolites as antiviral agents, and detail relevant evidence on the potential use and mechanisms of actions. Analyzing antivirals, their signaling, and the impacts of tissue and autoimmune protection may provide promising new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zuo
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230011, China
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Tao Meng
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230011, China
| | - Wenjian Tang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
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31
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Wang C, Ye X, Ding C, Zhou M, Li W, Wang Y, You Q, Zong S, Peng Q, Duanmu D, Chen H, Sun B, Qiao J. Two Resveratrol Oligomers Inhibit Cathepsin L Activity to Suppress SARS-CoV-2 Entry. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:5535-5546. [PMID: 36996017 PMCID: PMC10069644 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c07811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cell entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) depends on specific host cell proteases, which are the key targets for preventing and treating viral infections. Herein, we describe miyabenol C and trans-ε-viniferin, two resveratrol oligomers that specifically inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry by targeting host protease cathepsin L. Several cell-based assays were used to demonstrate the effect of resveratrol oligomers, and their target was identified via screening of antiviral targets. Molecular docking analysis suggested that the oligomers could occupy the active cavity of cathepsin L. The surface plasmon resonance assay showed that the equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) values of miyabenol C-cathepsin L and trans-ε-viniferin-cathepsin L were 5.54 and 8.54 μM, respectively, indicating their excellent binding ability for cathepsin L. Our study demonstrated the potential application of resveratrol oligomers as lead compounds in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection by targeting cathepsin L.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenghai Wang
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology,
Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University,
Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiansheng Ye
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Chengchao Ding
- The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life
Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China
(USTC), Hefei 230026, China
| | - Mengqi Zhou
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Weiling Li
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Yuansong Wang
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Qiang You
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Shan Zong
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Qian Peng
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Deqiang Duanmu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology,
Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University,
Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Haifeng Chen
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug
Target, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University,
Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Binlian Sun
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
| | - Jialu Qiao
- Wuhan Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of
Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056,
China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine
Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000,
China
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32
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Yang XY, Zhu YW, Fan L, Yi SY. A strategy combining chemical analysis and network pharmacology to investigate the mechanism of Xiao'er Qingre Zhike Oral solution in cough. Biomed Chromatogr 2023; 37:e5592. [PMID: 36733235 DOI: 10.1002/bmc.5592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Xiao'er Qingre Zhike Oral Solution (XQZS) is a commonly used TCM formula to treat cough in children in China. Its complicated composition renders its chemical analysis and mechanism elucidation difficult. To evaluate the bioactive components and mechanism of XQZS against cough, we used a combination strategy of chemical analysis and network pharmacology. A UHPLC/Q-Orbitrap-MS method was established for the identification and qualitative analysis of components of XQZS, and a total of 33 components were unambiguously identified. Aiming at identifying the components, network pharmacology revealed 107 potential targets related to cough. Using protein-protein interactions analysis, nine core targets were selected. Several cough-related pathways were enriched using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, including neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, serotonergic synapse and dopaminergic synapse. The herb-compound-target-pathway network indicated that PTGS2 (COX-2) was the core target of XQZS against cough. To demonstrate the inhibition effects of the major components against the key target, a COX-2 inhibitor screening assay was used. Compounds P2, P4, P23 and P49 exhibited promising inhibition effects on COX-2 at 20 μm, with inhibitory rates of 55.80-69.87%. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that XQZS may alleviate cough via the inhibition of PTGS2 (COX-2) and the regulation of the serotonergic synapse pathway. The chemical analysis and network pharmacology integrated evaluation provided an efficient strategy for discovering the key pharmacological mechanism of XQZS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Yun Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, AnHui, China
| | - Yi-Wen Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, AnHui, China
| | - Li Fan
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, AnHui, China
| | - Shan-Yong Yi
- Department of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, West Anhui University, Lu'an, AnHui, China.,Anhui Engineering Research Center for Eco-agriculture of Traditional Chinese Medicine, West Anhui University, Lu'an, AnHui, China
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33
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Chen K, Zhang M, Gao B, Hasan A, Li J, Bao Y, Fan J, Yu R, Yi Y, Ågren H, Wang Z, Liu H, Ye M, Qiao X. Characterization and protein engineering of glycosyltransferases for the biosynthesis of diverse hepatoprotective cycloartane-type saponins in Astragalus membranaceus. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2023; 21:698-710. [PMID: 36529909 PMCID: PMC10037152 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Although plant secondary metabolites are important source of new drugs, obtaining these compounds is challenging due to their high structural diversity and low abundance. The roots of Astragalus membranaceus are a popular herbal medicine worldwide. It contains a series of cycloartane-type saponins (astragalosides) as hepatoprotective and antivirus components. However, astragalosides exhibit complex sugar substitution patterns which hindered their purification and bioactivity investigation. In this work, glycosyltransferases (GT) from A. membranaceus were studied to synthesize structurally diverse astragalosides. Three new GTs, AmGT1/5 and AmGT9, were characterized as 3-O-glycosyltransferase and 25-O-glycosyltransferase of cycloastragenol respectively. AmGT1G146V/I variants were obtained as specific 3-O-xylosyltransferases by sequence alignment, molecular modelling and site-directed mutagenesis. A combinatorial synthesis system was established using AmGT1/5/9, AmGT1G146V/S and the reported AmGT8 and AmGT8A394F . The system allowed the synthesis of 13 astragalosides in Astragalus root with conversion rates from 22.6% to 98.7%, covering most of the sugar-substitution patterns for astragalosides. In addition, AmGT1 exhibited remarkable sugar donor promiscuity to use 10 different donors, and was used to synthesize three novel astragalosides and ginsenosides. Glycosylation remarkably improved the hepatoprotective and SARS-CoV-2 inhibition activities for triterpenoids. This is one of the first attempts to produce a series of herbal constituents via combinatorial synthesis. The results provided new biocatalytic tools for saponin biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
- Beijing Institute of Clinical Pharmacy, Beijing Friendship HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Meng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Baihan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Aobulikasimu Hasan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Junhao Li
- Department of Physics and AstronomyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Yang'oujie Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Jingjing Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Rong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Yang Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Hans Ågren
- Department of Physics and AstronomyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Zilong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Haiyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, Kunming Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Min Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Xue Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical SciencesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
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34
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Cui X, Lou L, Zhang Y, Yan B. Study of the distribution of Glycyrrhiza uralensis production areas as well as the factors affecting yield and quality. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5160. [PMID: 36991024 PMCID: PMC10060575 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31946-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild licorice in China is mainly distributed in northern China, such as Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia Provinces. The origin of wild licorice has varied among historical periods. The cultivated origin of planted licorice has the same as 59.26% of wild licorice. The distribution of cultivated licorice was shifted to the northwest relative to that of wild licorice. The yield and quality of cultivated licorice vary greatly from different origins, showing a certain pattern of variation from west to east. The same batch of licorice seedlings was planted at 8 sites overlapping the main licorice production areas in China. The yield and quality of licorice in the Baicheng experimental plot were low. The yield of licorice in the Jingtai and Altay experimental plots was high, but the quality was poor. The quality of licorice in Chifeng and Yuzhong experimental sites was high, but the yield was low. Principal component analysis of environmental and soil factors generated five characteristic roots with a cumulative contribution rate of 80%, three of which were related to soil and referred to as the soil charge factor, soil water factor, and soil nutrient factor, and the load coefficients of the water and nutrient factor were the largest. Soil conditions, especially water and nutrients, might have a substantial effect on the observed changes in the licorice production area. Generally, the regulation of water and nutrients merits special attention when selecting areas for the production and cultivation of licorice. This study can provide reference for the selection of cultivated licorice production areas and the research of high-quality cultivation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinping Cui
- State Key Laboratory and Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, Resource Center of Chinese Materia Medica China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Lin Lou
- School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100102, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory and Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, Resource Center of Chinese Materia Medica China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
| | - Binbin Yan
- State Key Laboratory and Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, Resource Center of Chinese Materia Medica China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
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35
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Broni E, Ashley C, Adams J, Manu H, Aikins E, Okom M, Miller WA, Wilson MD, Kwofie SK. Cheminformatics-Based Study Identifies Potential Ebola VP40 Inhibitors. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076298. [PMID: 37047270 PMCID: PMC10094735 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The Ebola virus (EBOV) is still highly infectious and causes severe hemorrhagic fevers in primates. However, there are no regulatorily approved drugs against the Ebola virus disease (EVD). The highly virulent and lethal nature of EVD highlights the need to develop therapeutic agents. Viral protein 40 kDa (VP40), the most abundantly expressed protein during infection, coordinates the assembly, budding, and release of viral particles into the host cell. It also regulates viral transcription and RNA replication. This study sought to identify small molecules that could potentially inhibit the VP40 protein by targeting the N-terminal domain using an in silico approach. The statistical quality of AutoDock Vina’s capacity to discriminate between inhibitors and decoys was determined, and an area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) curve of 0.791 was obtained. A total of 29,519 natural-product-derived compounds from Chinese and African sources as well as 2738 approved drugs were successfully screened against VP40. Using a threshold of −8 kcal/mol, a total of 7, 11, 163, and 30 compounds from the AfroDb, Northern African Natural Products Database (NANPDB), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and approved drugs libraries, respectively, were obtained after molecular docking. A biological activity prediction of the lead compounds suggested their potential antiviral properties. In addition, random-forest- and support-vector-machine-based algorithms predicted the compounds to be anti-Ebola with IC50 values in the micromolar range (less than 25 μM). A total of 42 natural-product-derived compounds were identified as potential EBOV inhibitors with desirable ADMET profiles, comprising 1, 2, and 39 compounds from NANPDB (2-hydroxyseneganolide), AfroDb (ZINC000034518176 and ZINC000095485942), and TCM, respectively. A total of 23 approved drugs, including doramectin, glecaprevir, velpatasvir, ledipasvir, avermectin B1, nafarelin acetate, danoprevir, eltrombopag, lanatoside C, and glycyrrhizin, among others, were also predicted to have potential anti-EBOV activity and can be further explored so that they may be repurposed for EVD treatment. Molecular dynamics simulations coupled with molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area calculations corroborated the stability and good binding affinities of the complexes (−46.97 to −118.9 kJ/mol). The potential lead compounds may have the potential to be developed as anti-EBOV drugs after experimental testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Broni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 581, Ghana
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Carolyn Ashley
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Joseph Adams
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 581, Ghana
| | - Hammond Manu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
| | - Ebenezer Aikins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
| | - Mary Okom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
| | - Whelton A. Miller
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Correspondence: (W.A.M.III); (S.K.K.); Tel.: +1(708)-2168451 (W.A.M.III); +23-320-3797922 (S.K.K.)
| | - Michael D. Wilson
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 581, Ghana
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Samuel K. Kwofie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra LG 54, Ghana
- Correspondence: (W.A.M.III); (S.K.K.); Tel.: +1(708)-2168451 (W.A.M.III); +23-320-3797922 (S.K.K.)
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Avelar M, Pedraza-González L, Sinicropi A, Flores-Morales V. Triterpene Derivatives as Potential Inhibitors of the RBD Spike Protein from SARS-CoV-2: An In Silico Approach. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28052333. [PMID: 36903578 PMCID: PMC10005606 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28052333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The appearance of a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in 2019 kicked off an international public health emergency. Although rapid progress in vaccination has reduced the number of deaths, the development of alternative treatments to overcome the disease is still necessary. It is known that the infection begins with the interaction of the spike glycoprotein (at the virus surface) and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 cell receptor (ACE2). Therefore, a straightforward solution for promoting virus inhibition seems to be the search for molecules capable of abolishing such attachment. In this work, we tested 18 triterpene derivatives as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein by means of molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, modeling the RBD S1 subunit from the X-ray structure of the RBD-ACE2 complex (PDB ID: 6M0J). Molecular docking revealed that at least three triterpene derivatives of each type (i.e., oleanolic, moronic and ursolic) present similar interaction energies as the reference molecule, i.e., glycyrrhizic acid. Molecular dynamics suggest that two compounds from oleanolic and ursolic acid, OA5 and UA2, can induce conformational changes capable of disrupting the RBD-ACE2 interaction. Finally, physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties simulations revealed favorable biological activity as antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayra Avelar
- Laboratorio de Síntesis Asimétrica y Bio-Quimioinformática (LSAyB), Ingeniería Química (UACQ), Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Campus XXI Km 6 Carr. Zac-Gdl, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (V.F.-M.)
| | - Laura Pedraza-González
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Adalgisa Sinicropi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds (CNR-ICCOM), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- CSGI, Consorzio per lo Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Virginia Flores-Morales
- Laboratorio de Síntesis Asimétrica y Bio-Quimioinformática (LSAyB), Ingeniería Química (UACQ), Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Campus XXI Km 6 Carr. Zac-Gdl, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (V.F.-M.)
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Sun C, Gao M, Qiao M. Research progress of traditional Chinese medicine compound "Xiaochaihu Decoction" in the treatment of depression. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 159:114249. [PMID: 36682244 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Depression is a common psychiatric disorder under the category of depression syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory. Meanwhile, Xiaochaihu Decoction is a classical TCM formulation regulating Qi, resolving and dissipating stagnation. Clinically, the formulation has long been adopted to treat Shaoyang stagnation syndrome for depression syndrome. In this review, potential targets of action and the corresponding pathways of Xiaochaihu Decoction are explored for depression treatment via network pharmacology. The article also systematically summarizes the active components and pharmacological mechanisms of seven Chinese herbal medicine components in Xiaochaihu Decoction and guides the future study direction of Xiaochaihu Decoction, which may serve a promising treatment for depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan Sun
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, PR China
| | - Mingzhou Gao
- Innovation Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, PR China.
| | - Mingqi Qiao
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, PR China.
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England C, TrejoMartinez J, PerezSanchez P, Karki U, Xu J. Plants as Biofactories for Therapeutic Proteins and Antiviral Compounds to Combat COVID-19. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:617. [PMID: 36983772 PMCID: PMC10054913 DOI: 10.3390/life13030617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had a profound impact on the world's health and economy. Although the end of the pandemic may come in 2023, it is generally believed that the virus will not be completely eradicated. Most likely, the disease will become an endemicity. The rapid development of vaccines of different types (mRNA, subunit protein, inactivated virus, etc.) and some other antiviral drugs (Remdesivir, Olumiant, Paxlovid, etc.) has provided effectiveness in reducing COVID-19's impact worldwide. However, the circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus has been constantly mutating with the emergence of multiple variants, which makes control of COVID-19 difficult. There is still a pressing need for developing more effective antiviral drugs to fight against the disease. Plants have provided a promising production platform for both bioactive chemical compounds (small molecules) and recombinant therapeutics (big molecules). Plants naturally produce a diverse range of bioactive compounds as secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, terpenoids/terpenes and polyphenols, which are a rich source of countless antiviral compounds. Plants can also be genetically engineered to produce valuable recombinant therapeutics. This molecular farming in plants has an unprecedented opportunity for developing vaccines, antibodies, and other biologics for pandemic diseases because of its potential advantages, such as low cost, safety, and high production volume. This review summarizes the latest advancements in plant-derived drugs used to combat COVID-19 and discusses the prospects and challenges of the plant-based production platform for antiviral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corbin England
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
- Molecular Biosciences Program, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | | | - Paula PerezSanchez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Uddhab Karki
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
- Molecular Biosciences Program, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Jianfeng Xu
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
- College of Agriculture, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
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Langer D, Mlynarczyk DT, Dlugaszewska J, Tykarska E. Potential of glycyrrhizic and glycyrrhetinic acids against influenza type A and B viruses: A perspective to develop new anti-influenza compounds and drug delivery systems. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 246:114934. [PMID: 36455358 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite the recent dynamic development of medicine, influenza is still a significant epidemiological problem for people around the world. The growing resistance of influenza viruses to currently available antiviral drugs makes it necessary to search for new compounds or drug forms with potential high efficacy against human influenza A and B viruses. One of the methods of obtaining new active compounds is to chemically modify privileged structures occurring in the natural environment. The second solution, that is gaining more and more interest, is the use of modern drug carriers, which significantly improve physicochemical and pharmacokinetic parameters of the transported substances. Molecules known from the earliest times for their numerous therapeutic properties are glycyrrhizinic acid (GA) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GE). Both compounds constitute the main active agents of the licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra, Leguminosae) root and, according to a number of scientific reports, show antiviral properties against both DNA and RNA viruses. The above information prompted many scientific teams around the world to obtain and test in vitro and/or in vivo new synthetic GA and GE derivatives against influenza A and B viruses. Similarly, in recent years, a significant amount of GA and GE-based drug delivery systems (DDS) such as nanoparticles, micelles, liposomes, nanocrystals, and carbon dots has been prepared and tested for antiviral activity, including those against influenza A and B viruses. This work systematizes the attempts undertaken to study the antiviral activity of new GA and GE analogs and modern DDS against clinically significant human influenza viruses, at the same time indicating the directions of their further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Langer
- Department of Genetics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 3, 60-806, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Dariusz T Mlynarczyk
- Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Grunwaldzka 6, 60-780, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Jolanta Dlugaszewska
- Department of Genetics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 3, 60-806, Poznań, Poland
| | - Ewa Tykarska
- Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Grunwaldzka 6, 60-780, Poznań, Poland
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Chen B, Yu X, Zhang L, Huang W, Lyu H, Xu Y, Shen J, Yuan W, Fang M, Li M, Gao Y. Clinical efficacy of Jingyin granules, a Chinese patent medicine, in treating patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2023; 108:154496. [PMID: 36288651 PMCID: PMC9575312 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Jingyin granules (JY), one patented Chinese herbal formula, have been advised for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. As of now, the safety and effectiveness of JY in treating COVID-19 patients were still to be evaluated. PURPOSE To investigate the safety and clinical effectiveness of JY in treating mild COVID-19 patients. STUDY DESIGN We carried out a prospective cohort study, as the highly infectious COVID-19 omicron variant ranged in Shanghai (ClinicalTrial.gov registration number: ChiCTR2200058692). METHODS Participants infected with COVID-19, who were diagnosed as mild cases, were assigned to receive either JY (JY group) or traditional Chinese medicine placebo (placebo group) orally for 7 days. The primary clinical indicators were the RNA negative conversion rate (NCR) and the incidence of severe cases. The secondary clinical indicators were the negative conversion time (NCT), inpatient length of stay (ILOS), and the disappearance rates of clinical symptoms. RESULTS Nine hundred participants were recruited in this clinical trial study, and 830 patients met the eligibility criteria. Seven hundred and ninety-one patients, accomplished the following-up assessment, including 423 cases of JY group and 368 cases of placebo group. NCR in JY group at 7-day posttreatment was considerably greater compared with placebo group (89.8% [380/423] vs 82.6% [304/368], P = 0.003). None of the patients with mild COVID-19 developed into severe cases. The median NCT of SARS-CoV-2 and ILOS in JY group were lesser than that in placebo group (4.0 [3.0,6.0]vs 5.0 [4.0,7.0] days, P < 0.001; 6.0 [4.0, 8.0] vs 7.0 [5.0, 9.0] days, P < 0.001). In both groups, the obvious improvement in clinical symptoms was observed, but the difference was not significant. In the subgroup of age ≤ 60 years, JY promoted SARS-CoV-2 RNA negative conversion (HR=1.242; 95% CI: 1.069-1.444, P < 0.001). No patients in both groups were reported as the case of serious adverse event. CONCLUSION JY maybe the potential medicine for treating mild COVID-19 patients, which had beneficial effects on increasing NCR, and shortening NCT and ILOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowu Chen
- Department of Hepatopathy, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Yu
- Laboratory of cellular immunity, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- General Affairs Department, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenqi Huang
- Administrative Office, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua Lyu
- National Monitoring Center for Medical Services Quality of TCM Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuping Xu
- Nursing Department, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaojiao Shen
- Nursing Department, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Weian Yuan
- GCP center, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Fang
- Administrative Office, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Man Li
- Laboratory of cellular immunity, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yueqiu Gao
- Department of Hepatopathy, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China; Laboratory of cellular immunity, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Infectious diseases of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine.
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Triterpenic Acid Amides as Potential Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 28:molecules28010303. [PMID: 36615498 PMCID: PMC9822074 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Although the incidence and mortality of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been declining during the pandemic, the problem related to designing novel antiviral drugs that could effectively resist viruses in the future remains relevant. As part of our continued search for chemical compounds that are capable of exerting an antiviral effect against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we studied the ability of triterpenic acid amides to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. Molecular modeling suggested that the compounds are able to bind to the active site of the main protease via non-covalent interactions. The FRET-based enzyme assay was used to reveal that compounds 1e and 1b can inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease at micromolar concentrations.
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Liang J, Zheng Y, Tong X, Yang N, Dai S. In Silico Identification of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Medicinal Plants Using Cheminformatics and Machine Learning. Molecules 2022; 28:208. [PMID: 36615401 PMCID: PMC9821958 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of COVID-19, is spreading rapidly and has caused hundreds of millions of infections and millions of deaths worldwide. Due to the lack of specific vaccines and effective treatments for COVID-19, there is an urgent need to identify effective drugs. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a valuable resource for identifying novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs based on the important contribution of TCM and its potential benefits in COVID-19 treatment. Herein, we aimed to discover novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds and medicinal plants from TCM by establishing a prediction method of anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity using machine learning methods. We first constructed a benchmark dataset from anti-SARS-CoV-2 bioactivity data collected from the ChEMBL database. Then, we established random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) models that both achieved satisfactory predictive performance with AUC values of 0.90. By using this method, a total of 1011 active anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds were predicted from the TCMSP database. Among these compounds, six compounds with highly potent activity were confirmed in the anti-SARS-CoV-2 experiments. The molecular fingerprint similarity analysis revealed that only 24 of the 1011 compounds have high similarity to the FDA-approved antiviral drugs, indicating that most of the compounds were structurally novel. Based on the predicted anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds, we identified 74 anti-SARS-CoV-2 medicinal plants through enrichment analysis. The 74 plants are widely distributed in 68 genera and 43 families, 14 of which belong to antipyretic detoxicate plants. In summary, this study provided several medicinal plants with potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, which offer an attractive starting point and a broader scope to mine for potentially novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihao Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Yang Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Xin Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Naixue Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Shaoxing Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming 650500, China
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Lancemaside A from Codonopsis lanceolata: Studies on Antiviral Activity and Mechanism of Action against SARS-CoV-2 and Its Variants of Concern. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0120122. [PMID: 36374087 PMCID: PMC9765103 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01201-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several plant-derived natural products with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity have been evaluated for the potential to serve as chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of COVID-19. Codonopsis lanceolata (CL) has long been used as a medicinal herb in East Asian countries to treat inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system but its antiviral activity has not been investigated so far. Here, we showed that CL extract and its active compound lancemaside A (LA) displayed potent inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 infection using a pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 entry assay system. We demonstrated that this inhibitory effect of LA was due to the alteration of membrane cholesterol and blockade of the membrane fusion between SARS-CoV-2 and host cells by filipin staining and cell-based membrane fusion assays. Our findings also showed that LA, as a membrane fusion blocker, could impede the endosomal entry pathway of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern (VOCs), including Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron (B.1.1.529), in Vero cells with similar of IC50 values ranging from 2.23 to 3.37 μM as well as the TMPRSS2-mediated viral entry pathway in A549 cells overexpressing ACE2 and TMPRSS2 with IC50 value of 3.92 μM. We further demonstrated that LA could prevent the formation of multinucleated syncytia arising from SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated membrane fusion. Altogether, the findings reported here suggested that LA could be a broad-spectrum anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic agent by targeting the fusion of viral envelope with the host cell membrane.
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Li B, Zhang T, Li J, Yu M. Antiviral Disaccharide Lead Compounds against SARS-CoV-2 through Computer-Aided High-Throughput Screen. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200461. [PMID: 36265004 PMCID: PMC9874536 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infects human epithelial cells through specific interaction with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). In addition, heparan sulfate proteoglycans act as the attachment factor to promote the binding of viral spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) to ACE2 on host cells. Though the rapid development of vaccines has contributed significantly to preventing severe disease, mutated SARS-CoV-2 strains, especially the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, show increased affinity of RBD binding to ACE2, leading to immune escape. Thus, there is still an unmet need for new antiviral drugs. In this study, we constructed pharmacophore models based on the spike RBD of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and performed virtual screen for best-hit compounds from our disaccharide library. Screening of 96 disaccharide structures identified two disaccharides that displayed higher binding affinity to RBD in comparison to reported small molecule antiviral drugs. Further, screening PharmMapper demonstrated interactions of the disaccharides with a number of inflammatory cytokines, suggesting a potential for disaccharides with multiple-protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binjie Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center forSoft Matter Science and EngineeringBeijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijing100029P. R. China
| | - Tianji Zhang
- Division of Chemistry and Analytical ScienceNational Institute of MetrologyBeijing100029P. R. China
| | - Jin‐ping Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center forSoft Matter Science and EngineeringBeijing University of Chemical TechnologyBeijing100029P. R. China
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and MicrobiologyUppsala UniversityUppsala75123Sweden
| | - Ming‐jia Yu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringBeijing Institute of TechnologyBeijing100081P. R. China
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Lei S, Chen X, Wu J, Duan X, Men K. Small molecules in the treatment of COVID-19. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:387. [PMID: 36464706 PMCID: PMC9719906 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-01249-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 has become a global crisis, and brought severe disruptions to societies and economies. Until now, effective therapeutics against COVID-19 are in high demand. Along with our improved understanding of the structure, function, and pathogenic process of SARS-CoV-2, many small molecules with potential anti-COVID-19 effects have been developed. So far, several antiviral strategies were explored. Besides directly inhibition of viral proteins such as RdRp and Mpro, interference of host enzymes including ACE2 and proteases, and blocking relevant immunoregulatory pathways represented by JAK/STAT, BTK, NF-κB, and NLRP3 pathways, are regarded feasible in drug development. The development of small molecules to treat COVID-19 has been achieved by several strategies, including computer-aided lead compound design and screening, natural product discovery, drug repurposing, and combination therapy. Several small molecules representative by remdesivir and paxlovid have been proved or authorized emergency use in many countries. And many candidates have entered clinical-trial stage. Nevertheless, due to the epidemiological features and variability issues of SARS-CoV-2, it is necessary to continue exploring novel strategies against COVID-19. This review discusses the current findings in the development of small molecules for COVID-19 treatment. Moreover, their detailed mechanism of action, chemical structures, and preclinical and clinical efficacies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sibei Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohua Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610072, China
| | - Jieping Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingmei Duan
- Department of Pharmacy, Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610072, China.
| | - Ke Men
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
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Shang Z, Liu C, Qiao X, Ye M. Chemical analysis of the Chinese herbal medicine licorice (Gan-Cao): An update review. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2022; 299:115686. [PMID: 36067839 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Licorice, called Gan-Cao in China, is one of the most popular traditional herbal medicines. It is derived from the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, G. glabra, and G. inflata. Licorice is recorded in the pharmacopoeias of China, Japan, US, and Europe. AIM This review updates research progress of licorice from the perspectives of chemical analysis, quality evaluation, drug metabolism, and pharmacokinetic studies from 2009 to April 2022. MATERIALS AND METHODS Both English and Chinese literatures were collected from databases including PubMed, Elsevier, Web of Science, and CNKI (Chinese). Licorice, extraction, structural characterization/identification, quality control, metabolism, and pharmacokinetics were used as keywords. RESULTS Newly developed analytical methods, including LC/UV, 2DLC, LC/MS, GC/MS, and mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) for chemical analysis of licorice were summarized. CONCLUSION This review provides a comprehensive summary on chemical analysis of licorice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanpeng Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Chenrui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Xue Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China.
| | - Min Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China; Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China.
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Gomaa AA, Abdel-Wadood YA, Gomaa MA. Glycyrrhizin and boswellic acids, the golden nutraceuticals: multitargeting for treatment of mild-moderate COVID-19 and prevention of post-COVID cognitive impairment. Inflammopharmacology 2022; 30:1977-1992. [PMID: 36136251 PMCID: PMC9493173 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-022-01062-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Breakthrough infections have been reported in fully vaccinated persons. Furthermore, rebound symptoms have been reported following the new FDA granted emergency use to combat SARS-CoV-2. Glycyrrhizin (GR) and boswellic acids (BAs) combination has been shown to have highly successful actions against COVID-19 in our recent clinical trial. However, the study is limited by the small sample size, and therefore, the aim of this article is to comprehensively evaluate recent evidence on the efficacy of GR and BAs in preventing the development of COVID-19 in patients with mild and moderate infections and in preventing post-COVID-19 cognitive impairment, which is the most important symptom after recovery from Covid-19 disease. We have reviewed and discussed information published since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic until July 2022 on preclinical (in vivo, in vivo and bioinformatics) and clinical studies related to the antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity of Gr and BAs. Sixteen studies were performed to determine the efficacy of GR against SARS-CoV-2. Ten studies were used primarily for in vitro and in vivo assays and six used molecular docking studies. However, the antiviral activity of BAs against SARS-CoV-2 was determined in only five studies using molecular modeling and bioinformatics. All these studies confirmed that GR n and BAs have strong antiviral activity and can be used as a therapeutic agent for COVID-19 and as a protective agent against SARS-CoV-2. They may act by inhibiting the main protease SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro) responsible for replication and blocking spike protein-mediated cell entry. Only seven rigorously designed clinical trials regarding the usefulness of GR, BAs or their combinations in the treatment of COVID-19 have been published as of July 2022. Although there is no clinical study regarding the treatment of cognitive impairment after COVID-19 that has been published so far, several preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the potential effect of GR and BAs in the prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment by inhibiting the activity of several molecules that activate inflammatory signaling pathway. In conclusion, the findings of our study documented the beneficial use of GR and BAs to treat SARS-CoV-2 and its variants and prevent post-COVID cognitive impairment. However, it warrants further studies with a larger randomized sample size to ensure that the studies have sufficient evidence of benefits against COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel A Gomaa
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
| | | | - Mohamed A Gomaa
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Faculty Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
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Yi Y, Zhang M, Xue H, Yu R, Bao YO, Kuang Y, Chai Y, Ma W, Wang J, Shi X, Li W, Hong W, Li J, Muturi E, Wei H, Wlodarz J, Roszak S, Qiao X, Yang H, Ye M. Schaftoside inhibits 3CL pro and PL pro of SARS-CoV-2 virus and regulates immune response and inflammation of host cells for the treatment of COVID-19. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:4154-4164. [PMID: 35968270 PMCID: PMC9361578 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
It is an urgent demand worldwide to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) and papain-like protease (PLpro) are key targets to discover SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. After screening 12 Chinese herbal medicines and 125 compounds from licorice, we found that a popular natural product schaftoside inhibited 3CLpro and PLpro with IC50 values of 1.73 ± 0.22 and 3.91 ± 0.19 μmol/L, respectively, and inhibited SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vero E6 cells with EC50 of 11.83 ± 3.23 μmol/L. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry analysis, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations, together with site-directed mutagenesis indicated the antiviral activities of schaftoside were related with non-covalent interactions with H41, G143 and R188 of 3CLpro, and K157, E167 and A246 of PLpro. Moreover, proteomics analysis and cytokine assay revealed that schaftoside also regulated immune response and inflammation of the host cells. The anti-inflammatory activities of schaftoside were confirmed on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury mice. Schaftoside showed good safety and pharmacokinetic property, and could be a promising drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Heng Xue
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yang-Oujie Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yi Kuang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yue Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Wen Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiaomeng Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Wenzhe Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Wei Hong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Junhua Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Elishiba Muturi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongping Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Joachim Wlodarz
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Silesia, Katowice 40-007, Poland
| | - Szczepan Roszak
- Department of Physical and Quantum Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw 50-370, Poland
| | - Xue Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Hang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Min Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
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尚 展, 易 阳, 余 蓉, 范 婧, 黄 昱, 乔 雪, 叶 敏. [Bioactive compounds of Jingfang Granules against SARS-CoV-2 virus proteases 3CL pro and PL pro]. BEIJING DA XUE XUE BAO. YI XUE BAN = JOURNAL OF PEKING UNIVERSITY. HEALTH SCIENCES 2022; 54:907-919. [PMID: 36241233 PMCID: PMC9568378 DOI: 10.19723/j.issn.1671-167x.2022.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Jingfang Granules have been recommended for the prevention and treatment of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Through chemical analysis and bioactivity evaluation, this study aims to elucidate the potential effective components of Jingfang Granules. METHODS The inhibitory acti-vities of Jingfang Granules extract against 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), papain like protease (PLpro), spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) and human cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were evaluated using enzyme assay. The antitussive effects were evaluated using the classical ammonia-induced cough model. The chemical constituents of Jingfang Granules were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The 3CLpro and PLpro inhibitory activities of the major compounds were determined by enzyme assay, molecular docking, and site-directed mutagenesis. RESULTS Jingfang Granules exhibited 3CLpro and PLpro inhibitory activities, as well as COX-2 inhibitory and antitussive activities. By investigating the MS/MS behaviors of reference standards, a total of fifty-six compounds were characterized in Jingfang Granules. Sixteen of them were unambiguously identified by comparing with reference standards. The contents of the 16 major compounds were also determined, and their total contents were 2 498.8 μg/g. Naringin, nodakenin and neohesperidin were three dominating compounds in Jingfang Granules, and their contents were 688.8, 596.4 and 578.7 μg/g, respectively. In addition, neohesperidin and naringin exhibited PLpro inhibitory activities, and the inhibition rates at 8 μmol/L were 53.5% and 46.1%, respectively. Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin showed significant inhibitory activities against 3CLpro and PLpro, and the inhibitory rates at 8 μmol/L were 76.8% and 78.2%, respectively. Molecular docking indicated that hydrogen bonds could be formed between prim-O-glucosylcimifugin and amino acid residues H163, E166, Q192, T190 of 3CLpro (binding energy, -7.7 kcal/mol) and K157, D164, R166, E167, T301 of PLpro(-7.3 kcal/mol), respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated amino acid residue K157 was a key active site for the interaction between prim-O-glucosylcimifugin and PLpro. CONCLUSION Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin, neohesperidin, and naringin as the major compounds from Jingfang Granules could inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus proteases 3CLpro and PLpro. The results are valuable for rational clinical use of Jingfang Granules.
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Affiliation(s)
- 展鹏 尚
- />北京大学药学院天然药物及仿生药物国家重点实验室,北京大学云南白药国际医学研究中心,北京 100191State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University-Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - 阳 易
- />北京大学药学院天然药物及仿生药物国家重点实验室,北京大学云南白药国际医学研究中心,北京 100191State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University-Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - 蓉 余
- />北京大学药学院天然药物及仿生药物国家重点实验室,北京大学云南白药国际医学研究中心,北京 100191State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University-Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - 婧婧 范
- />北京大学药学院天然药物及仿生药物国家重点实验室,北京大学云南白药国际医学研究中心,北京 100191State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University-Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - 昱曦 黄
- />北京大学药学院天然药物及仿生药物国家重点实验室,北京大学云南白药国际医学研究中心,北京 100191State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University-Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - 雪 乔
- />北京大学药学院天然药物及仿生药物国家重点实验室,北京大学云南白药国际医学研究中心,北京 100191State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University-Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - 敏 叶
- />北京大学药学院天然药物及仿生药物国家重点实验室,北京大学云南白药国际医学研究中心,北京 100191State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University-Yunnan Baiyao International Medical Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
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Kim TY, Kim JY, Kwon HC, Jeon S, Lee SJ, Jung H, Kim S, Jang DS, Lee CJ. Astersaponin I from Aster koraiensis is a natural viral fusion blocker that inhibits the infection of SARS-CoV-2 variants and syncytium formation. Antiviral Res 2022; 208:105428. [PMID: 36252824 PMCID: PMC9568284 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants prolongs COVID-19 pandemic. Although SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and therapeutics are currently available, there is still a need for development of safe and effective drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and also for preparedness for the next pandemic. Here, we discover that astersaponin I (AI), a triterpenoid saponin in Aster koraiensis inhibits SARS-CoV-2 entry pathways at the plasma membrane and within the endosomal compartments mainly by increasing cholesterol content in the plasma membrane and interfering with the fusion of SARS-CoV-2 envelope with the host cell membrane. Moreover, we find that this functional property of AI as a fusion blocker enables it to inhibit the infection with SARS-CoV-2 variants including the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron with a similar efficacy, and the formation of syncytium, a multinucleated cells driven by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated cell-to-cell fusion. Finally, we claim that the triterpene backbone as well as the attached hydrophilic sugar moieties of AI are structurally important for its inhibitory activity against the membrane fusion event. Overall, this study demonstrates that AI is a natural viral fusion inhibitor and proposes that it can be a broad-spectrum antiviral agent against current COVID-19 pandemic and future outbreaks of novel viral pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tai Young Kim
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 34126, South Korea
| | - Ji-Young Kim
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, South Korea
| | - Hak Cheol Kwon
- KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Gangneung, 25451, South Korea
| | - Sangeun Jeon
- Zoonotic Virus Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Sol Ji Lee
- IBS Virus Facility, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 34126, South Korea
| | - Haejin Jung
- Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Research Solution Center, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 34126, South Korea
| | - Seungtaek Kim
- Zoonotic Virus Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Dae Sik Jang
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, South Korea.
| | - C Justin Lee
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 34126, South Korea.
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