Protective effect of Cordyceps sinensis against diabetic kidney disease through promoting proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis of renal proximal tubular cells

Exploring the mechanism of Corbrin capsules in the intervention of AKI-COVID-19 based on network pharmacology combined with GEO dataset

AIM

of the study: This study used network pharmacology and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to investigate the therapeutic effects of Corbrin capsules on acute kidney injury (AKI)-COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The active constituents and specific molecular targets of Corbrin capsules were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and Swiss Target Prediction databases. The targets related to AKI and COVID-19 disease were obtained from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), GeneCards, and GEO databases. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by utilizing Cytoscape. To enhance the analysis of pathways associated with the pathogenesis of AKI-COVID-19, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed. Furthermore, immune infiltration analysis was performed by using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and CIBERSORT. Molecular docking was used to assess interactions between differentially expressed genes and active ingredients. Verification was performed by utilizing GEO databases and in vivo assays.

RESULTS

This study revealed an overlap of 18 significantly differentially expressed genes between the Corbrin capsules group and the AKI-COVID-19 target group. Analysis of the PPI network identified TP53, JAK2, PIK3CA, PTGS2, KEAP1, and MCL1 as the top six core protein targets with the highest degrees. The results obtained from GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated that the target genes were primarily enriched in the apoptosis and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. Moreover, the analysis of immune infiltration revealed a notable disparity in the percentage of quiescent memory CD4 + T cells. Western blot analyses provided compelling evidence suggesting that the dysregulation of 6 core protein targets could be effectively reversed by Corbrin capsules.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed the key components, targets, and pathways involved in treating AKI-related COVID-19 using Corbrin capsules. This study also provided a new understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying this treatment.

Use of bailing capsules (cordyceps sinensis) in the treatment of chronic kidney disease: a meta-analysis and network pharmacology

The Bailing Capsule is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, its therapeutic effects and pharmacological mechanisms have not been fully explored. In this study, we integrated meta-analysis and network pharmacology to provide scientific evidence for the efficacy and pharmacological mechanism of Bailing Capsule in treating CKD. We conducted searches for randomized controlled studies matching the topic in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and the Wanfang Database, and screened them according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Dates from the included studies were extracted for meta-analysis, including renal function indicators, such as 24-h urinary protein (24UP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (Scr), as well as inflammatory indicators like high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Network pharmacology was employed to extract biological information, including active drug ingredients and potential targets of the drugs and diseases, for network construction and gene enrichment. Our findings indicated that 24UP, BUN, and Scr in the treatment group containing Bailing Capsule were lower than those in the control group. In terms of inflammatory indicators, hs-CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α, the treatment group containing Bailing Capsule also exhibited lower levels than the control group. Based on network pharmacology analysis, we identified 190 common targets of Bailing Capsule and CKD. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses suggested that the pharmacological mechanism of Bailing Capsule might be related to immune response, inflammatory response, vascular endothelial damage, cell proliferation, and fibrosis. This demonstrates that Bailing Capsule can exert therapeutic effects through multiple targets and pathways, providing a theoretical basis for its use.

Unique Bioactives from Zombie Fungus (Cordyceps) as Promising Multitargeted Neuroprotective Agents

Cordyceps, also known as "zombie fungus", is a non-poisonous mushroom that parasitizes insects for growth and development by manipulating the host system in a way that makes the victim behave like a "zombie". These species produce promising bioactive metabolites, like adenosine, β-glucans, cordycepin, and ergosterol. Cordyceps has been used in traditional medicine due to its immense health benefits, as it boosts stamina, appetite, immunity, longevity, libido, memory, and sleep. Neuronal loss is the typical feature of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) (Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)) and neurotrauma. Both these conditions share common pathophysiological features, like oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and glutamatergic excitotoxicity. Cordyceps bioactives (adenosine, N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine, ergosta-7, 9 (11), 22-trien-3β-ol, active peptides, and polysaccharides) exert potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities and display beneficial effects in the management and/or treatment of neurodegenerative disorders in vitro and in vivo. Although a considerable list of compounds is available from Cordyceps, only a few have been evaluated for their neuroprotective potential and still lack information for clinical trials. In this review, the neuroprotective mechanisms and safety profile of Cordyceps extracts/bioactives have been discussed, which might be helpful in the identification of novel potential therapeutic entities in the future.

Efficacy and safety of Ophiocordyceps sinensis in the treatment of Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (OS) preparations for the treatment of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Methods: We searched eight databases to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of OS combined with a low-iodine diet or levothyroxine for HT. The search period was from inception to June 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.3 software after two evaluators independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. The GRADE system was used to assess the certainty of evidence. Results: A total of 14 RCTs involving 1,014 patients with HT were included. Meta-analysis showed that OS preparations combined with a low-iodine diet were more effective in reducing thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) [SMD = -3.81, 95% CI (-5.07, -2.54), p < 0.00001] and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) [SMD = -4.73, 95% CI (-6.86, -2.61), p < 0.00001] compared to a low-iodine diet. Compared with levothyroxine treatment alone, OS preparations combined with levothyroxine further reduced TPOAb [SMD = -2.04, 95% CI (-2.82, -1.26), p < 0.00001], TgAb [SMD = -2.01, 95% CI (-2.68, -1.33), p < 0.00001], tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) [SMD = -3.40, 95% CI (-5.66, -1.14), p = 0.003], interleukin-2 (IL-2) [SMD = -2.31, 95% CI (-3.98, -0.65), p = 0.006], and interleukin-6 (IL-6) [MD = -4.16, 95% CI (-6.17, -2.15), p < 0.0001], and elevated free thyroxine (FT4) [SMD = 1.34, 95% CI (0.59, 2.08), p = 0.0004], but no significant effect on free triiodothyronine (FT3) [SMD = 0.83, 95% CI (-0.12, 1.78), p = 0.09] and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) [SMD = -0.80, 95% CI (-1.71, 0.11), p = 0.08]. In terms of safety, three studies reported adverse reactions in 10 patients in each of the experimental and control groups. Conclusion: OS preparations in combination with other treatments (low-iodine diet or levothyroxine) may decrease thyroid autoantibodies and inflammatory responses in patients with HT. In HT patients with hypothyroidism, the combination of the OS preparations with levothyroxine also improved FT4. However, the quality of the included studies was generally low. Moreover, the safety of OS preparations remains unclear. Therefore, more high-quality, multicenter, large-sample RCTs are needed in the future to validate the efficacy and safety of OS preparations. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier CRD42023432663.