Supplementary prevention and management of asthma with quercetin phytosome: a pilot registry

Molecular Mechanism of YuPingFeng in the Treatment of Asthma Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Technology

Objective

To explore the molecular targets and mechanism of YuPingFeng (YPF) for the treatment of asthma by using network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Methods

The potential active ingredients and relevant targets of YPF were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). Asthma-related gene targets were retrieved from GeneCards, OMIM, DrugBank, PharmGKB, and TTD databases. The protein-protein (PPI) network between YPF and asthma common targets was constructed by SRING online database and Cytoscape software. GO and KEGG analyses were performed to explore the complicated molecular biological processes and potential pathways. Finally, a molecular docking approach was carried out to verify the results.

Results

We obtained 100 potential targets of the 35 active ingredients in YPF and 1610 asthma-related targets. 60 YPF-asthma common targets were selected to perform PPI analysis. Seven core genes were screened based on two topological calculation methods. GO and KEGG results showed that the main pathways of YPF in treating asthma include TNF signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Finally, the molecular docking results indicated that the key ingredients of YPF had a good affinity with the relevant core genes.

Conclusion

This study reflects the multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway characteristics of YPF in treating asthma, providing a theoretical and scientific basis for the intervention of asthma by traditional Chinese medicine YPF.

Promising Effects of 3-Month Period of Quercetin Phytosome® Supplementation in the Prevention of Symptomatic COVID-19 Disease in Healthcare Workers: A Pilot Study

Quercetin, for its crucial properties, fulfills the need for a multifactor action that is useful for the potential counterbalance of a COVID-19 infection. Given this background, the aim of the study was to evaluate the potential effect of 3 months’ supplementation with Quercetin Phytosome^® (250 mg twice a day) as prevention against symptomatic COVID-19. In total, 120 subjects were enrolled (males, 63; females, 57; age 49 ± 12), with 60 in the supplementation group and 60 in the placebo group. No significant differences were detected between groups in terms of gender, smoking, and chronic disease. Subjects underwent rapid COVID-19 diagnostic tests every 3 weeks. During our study, 5 subjects had COVID-19, 1 out of 60 subjects in the quercetin group and 4 out of 60 in the control group. Complete clinical remission was recorded at 7 and 15 days in the quercetin and placebo groups, respectively. Analysis showed that, at 5 months, the COVID free survival function (risk of infection) was 99.8% in subjects under quercetin supplementation and 96.5% in control group. As shown by the value of EXP(B), those who had taken the supplement had a protection factor of 14% more to not contract the COVID-19 infection than that of those who had taken a placebo. Obtained results are encouraging, but further studies are required to add quercetin as regular prophylaxis.

Network Pharmacology-Based Analysis of the Underlying Mechanism of Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. for Antiasthma: A Characteristic Medicinal Material in Xinjiang

Background

Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. (Shen Xiang Cao (SXC)), a traditional medicine herb in Xinjiang, has a long history of being used by minorities to treat asthma. However, its active antiasthmatic compounds and underlying mechanism of action are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the bioactive compounds and explore the molecular mechanism of SCX in the treatment of asthma using network pharmacology.

Methods

The compounds of SCX were collected by a literature search, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction were used to predict targets and screen active compounds. Moreover, asthma-related targets were obtained based on DisGeNET, Herb, and GeneCards databases, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built by the STRING database. Furthermore, the topological analysis of the PPI and SXC-compound-target networks were analyzed and established by Cytoscape software. Finally, the RStudio software package was used for carrying out Gene Ontology (GO) function enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. AutoDock tools and AutoDock Vina were used to molecularly dock the active compounds and key targets.

Results

A total of 8 active compounds and 258 potential targets related to SXC were predicted, and PPI network screened out key targets, including IL-6, JUN, TNF, IL10, and CXCL8. GO enrichment analysis involved cell responses to reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress, chemical stress, etc. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis showed that SXC effectively treated asthma through regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathways, interleukin 17 (IL-17) signaling pathways, toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathways.

Conclusion

The preliminary study that was based on multiple compounds, multiple targets, and multiple pathways provides a scientific basis for further elucidating the molecules involved and the underlying antiasthma-related mechanisms of SXC.

Phytosomes as Innovative Delivery Systems for Phytochemicals: A Comprehensive Review of Literature

Nowadays, medicinal herbs and their phytochemicals have emerged as a great therapeutic option for many disorders. However, poor bioavailability and selectivity might limit their clinical application. Therefore, bioavailability is considered a notable challenge to improve bio-efficacy in transporting dietary phytochemicals. Different methods have been proposed for generating effective carrier systems to enhance the bioavailability of phytochemicals. Among them, nano-vesicles have been introduced as promising candidates for the delivery of insoluble phytochemicals. Due to the easy preparation of the bilayer vesicles and their adaptability, they have been widely used and approved by the scientific literature. The first part of the review is focused on introducing phytosome technology as well as its applications, with emphasis on principles of formulations and characterization. The second part provides a wide overview of biological activities of commercial and non-commercial phytosomes, divided by systems and related pathologies. These results confirm the greater effectiveness of phytosomes, both in terms of biological activity or reduced dosage, highlighting curcumin and silymarin as the most formulated compounds. Finally, we describe the promising clinical and experimental findings regarding the applications of phytosomes. The conclusion of this study encourages the researchers to transfer their knowledge from laboratories to market, for a further development of these products.

Potentials of Antitussive Traditional Persian Functional Foods for COVID-19 Therapy†

Coronavirus disease 2019 is a worldwide pandemic resulting in a severe acute respiratory syndrome. Remdesivir is the only FDA-approved drug for hospitalized patients older than age 12. It shows the necessity of finding new therapeutic strategies. Functional foods (FFs) could have co-therapeutic and protective effects against COVID-19 infection. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM), one of the safest and most popular schools of medicine for hundreds of years, has recommended potential FF candidates to manage such a global pandemic. To reveal the potential of TPM in terms of antitussive FFs, traditional Persian pharmacopoeia "Qarabadin-e-Salehi" was searched using the keywords "Soaal" and "Sorfeh." Also, a search of MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, and Science Direct was performed for the relevant literature published from the inception up to March 2021. A combination of search terms including "cough, antitussive, antioxidant, anti-inflammation, antiviral, COVID-19, mucoactive, mucolytic, expectorant, and mucoregulatory" was also applied. The potential mechanism of action in SARS-CoV-2 infection was discussed. Twelve TPM FFs were found including Laooqs, Morabbas, a Saviq, a soup, and a syrup. They are combinations of two to seven ingredients. Natural compounds of mentioned formulations have the main pharmacological mechanisms including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihistamine, bronchodilator, immunomodulatory, and mucoactive effects as well as central or peripheral antitussive activities. FFs are cost-effective, easily accessible, and safe options for both treatment and prevention of COVID-19. They might have positive psychological effects along with their pharmacological effects and nutritional virtues. They could also manage persistent respiratory discomforts after recovery from COVID-19.

Anti-cancer properties of quercetin in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a primary bone tumor. Although it is a rare disease in general, it is the most common primary bone tumor among children. Despite the significant advances made in the field of osteosarcoma treatment, the outcomes of this disease are still unfavorable. Besides, there is still no targeted therapy for osteosarcoma that can be used in clinical settings. Quercetin is a member of the phytochemical family which is used for different diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Its anti-cancer effects are examined in many types of cancer including breast, colon, lung, prostate, and pancreatic cancers and have shown promising results. Herein, the studies dealing with the antitumor roles of quercetin in osteosarcoma are reviewed in this article. We take a look into quercetin's ability to affect proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and chemo-resistance of the osteosarcoma cells through regulating protein expression and signaling pathways.

Network Pharmacology Strategy to Investigate the Pharmacological Mechanism of HuangQiXiXin Decoction on Cough Variant Asthma and Evidence-Based Medicine Approach Validation

Objective

To investigate the pharmacological mechanism of HuangQiXiXin decoction (HQXXD) on cough variant asthma (CVA) and validate the clinical curative effect.

Methods

The active compounds and target genes of HQXXD were searched using TCMSP. CVA-related target genes were obtained using the GeneCards database. The active target genes of HQXXD were compared with the CVA-related target genes to identify candidate target genes of HQXXD acting on CVA. A medicine-compound-target network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.6.0 software, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database. Gene ontology (GO) function enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed using RGUI3.6.1 and Cytoscape 3.6.0. We searched the main database for randomized controlled trials of HQXXD for CVA. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook. A meta-analysis of the clinical curative effect of HQXXD for CVA was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.3 software.

Results

We screened out 48 active compounds and 217 active target genes of HQXXD from TCMSP. The 217 active target genes of HQXXD were compared with the 1481 CVA-related target genes, and 132 candidate target genes for HQXXD acting on CVA were identified. The medicine-compound-target network and PPI network were constructed, and the key compounds and key targets were selected. GO function enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed. Meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate of the clinical curative effect was significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group.

Conclusion

The pharmacological mechanism of HQXXD acting on CVA has been further determined, and the clinical curative effect of HQXXD on CVA is remarkable.

The Human Microbial Metabolism of Quercetin in Different Formulations: An In Vitro Evaluation

Quercetin is one of the main dietary flavonols, but its beneficial properties in disease prevention may be limited due to its scarce bioavailability. For this purpose, delivery systems have been designed to enhance both stability and bioavailability of bioactive compounds. This study aimed at investigating the human microbial metabolism of quercetin derived from unformulated and phytosome-formulated quercetin through an in vitro model. Both ingredients were firstly characterized for their profile in native (poly)phenols, and then fermented with human fecal microbiota for 24 h. Quantification of microbial metabolites was performed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (uHPLC-MSn) analyses. Native quercetin, the main compound in both products, appeared less prone to microbial degradation in the phytosome-formulated version compared to the unformulated one during fecal incubation. Quercetin of both products was bioaccessible to colonic microbiota, resulting in the production of phenylpropanoic acid, phenylacetic acid and benzoic acid derivatives. The extent of the microbial metabolism of quercetin was higher in the unformulated ingredient, in a time-dependent manner. This study opened new perspectives to investigate the role of delivery systems on influencing the microbial metabolism of flavonols in the colonic environment, a pivotal step in the presumed bioactivity associated to their intake.