Exploration of Hanshi Zufei prescription for treatment of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology

Xinrui Li; Zishuai Wen; Mingdong Si; Yuxin Jia; Huixian Liu; Yuguang Zheng; Donglai Ma

doi:10.1016/j.chmed.2021.06.006

Exploration of Hanshi Zufei prescription for treatment of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology

Chin Herb Med. 2022 Apr;14(2):294-302. doi: 10.1016/j.chmed.2021.06.006. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Authors

Xinrui Li¹, Zishuai Wen¹, Mingdong Si¹, Yuxin Jia¹, Huixian Liu¹, Yuguang Zheng^{1

2

3}, Donglai Ma^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050200, China.
² Traditional Chinese Medicine Processing Technology Innovation Center of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050091, China.
³ Hebei Higher Education Institute Applied Technology Research Center on TCM Formula Preparation, Shijiazhuang 050091, China.

Abstract

Objective: Network pharmacology combines drug and disease targets with biological information networks based on the integrity and systematicness of the interactions between drugs and disease targets. This study aims to explore the molecular basis of Hanshi Zufei formula for treatment of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques.

Methods: Using TCMSP, the chemical constituents and molecular targets of Atractylodis Rhizoma, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, Pogostemonis Herba, Tsaoko Fructus, Ephedrae Herba, Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, and Arecae Semen were investigated. The predicted targets of novel coronavirus were screened using the NCBI and GeneCards databases. To further screen the drug-disease core targets network, the corresponding target proteins were queried using multiple databases (Biogrid, DIP, and HPRD), a protein interaction network graph was constructed, and the network topology was analyzed. The molecular docking studies were also performed between the network's top 15 compounds and the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) 3CL hydrolytic enzyme and angiotensin conversion enzyme II (ACE2).

Results: The herb-active ingredient-target network contained nine drugs, 86 compounds, and 49 drug-disease targets. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis resulted in 1566 GO items (P < 0.05), among which 1438 were biological process items, 35 were cell composition items, and 93 were molecular function items. Fourteen signal pathways were obtained by enrichment screening of the KEGG pathway database (P < 0.05). The molecular docking results showed that the affinity of the core active compounds with the SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolase was better than for the other compounds.

Conclusion: Several core compounds can regulate multiple signaling pathways by binding with 3CL hydrolase and ACE2, which might contribute to the treatment of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hanshi Zufei prescription; SARS-CoV-2; molecular docking; network pharmacology.