基于VEGFR,FGFR探讨中药方剂对COVID-19后遗症肺纤维化的干预作用

Discovery of intervention effect of Chinese herbal formulas on COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis treated by VEGFR and FGFR inhibitors

自2020年2月以来,随着疫情防控力度的加强,大批新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)患者治愈出院。肺纤维化是冠状病毒肺炎的后遗症之一,其不仅引起呼吸困难和肺功能指标的恶化,还具有死亡率高、预后不良的特点,严重影响患者的生活质量。血管内皮生长因子受体(vascular endothelial growth factor receptor,VEGFR)、成纤维生长因子受体(fibroblast growth factor receptor,FGFR)通过介导参与肺纤维化进程的信号转导通路,抑制成纤维细胞增殖、活化与迁移,影响肺纤维的发生发展。基于中医整体观念指导下的中药方剂对肺纤维化具有良好的治疗效果,因此基于VEGFR和FGFR探讨中药对COVID-19后遗症肺纤维化的干预作用具有重要意义。该研究运用分子对接技术,通过构建VEGFR和FGFR靶点的对接模型,以原配体-CDCOKER ENERGY打分值的80%为阈值筛选方剂中的活性成分,并寻找其来源中药。通过检索成分命中率高于30%中药的性味归经及功效信息,构建中药-归经网络及中药-功效网络,结合《新型冠状病毒肺炎诊疗方案(试行第七版)》中2首、《中医疫病名方精选》中9首针对疫病恢复期的方剂,探讨了中药方剂治疗肺纤维化的规律。研究结果显示,基于VEGFR和FGFR靶点筛选获得潜在抗肺纤维化的活性成分分别为959,1 047个。VEGFR和FGFR靶点成分命中率达到30%以上的中药为黄芩、南沙参、半夏、薏苡仁、陈皮、白扁豆、白芍、桑叶、党参、玉竹、芦根、柴胡、黄芪、人参、西洋参、玄参、当归、丹参。分析上述中药性味归经及功效信息可知,治疗肺纤维化的中药主归肺(degree=14)、脾(degree=8)经,功效以补虚(degree=9)为主。结合恢复期推荐处方进行分析,上述中药在恢复期方剂中均有出现,其中以气阴两虚处方与补中益气汤命中中药数目最多。本次新型冠状病毒肺炎的主要证候为湿热蕴肺,内蕴邪热久羁,易于耗气伤津,临床观察显示,恢复期患者多处于余邪未尽、正气尚未恢复的阶段,主要表现为肺脾气虚,结合该研究分析,新型冠状病毒肺炎患者在此阶段,应当注重扶正祛邪,健脾益肺,进而缓解病毒导致的肺纤维化症状。研究结果旨在为中医药治疗COVID-19恢复期后遗症肺纤维化提供数据参考,并为临床用药提供指导。

Since February 2020, a large number of patients infected with new coronavirus has been cured and discharged with the controlling of epidemic. Pulmonary fibrosis, which may be one of the sequela caused by COVID-19, not only brings dyspnea and deterioration of lung function, but also affects patients′ life because of its high mortality and poor prognosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor(VEGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptor(FGFR) can inhibit the proliferation, activation and migration of fibroblasts by regulating the signal transduction pathway involved in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. Chinese herbal formulas pose a good therapeutic effect on pulmonary fibrosis. Present study explores the intervention effect on pulmonary fibrosis of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) by screening the potential inhibitors of VEGFR and FGFR. The docking models of VEGFR and FGFR were established to obtain the potential active ingredients which were filtered by the docking score. According to 2 prescriptions in the Protocol for the diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019(7th edition)and 9 prescriptions in Traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for treating blight, 959 and 1 047 potential ingredients were obtained as the inhibitors of VEGFR and FGFR respectively with the screening thres-hold set as eighty percent of the docking score of the initial ligands. The potential herbs were then filtered by the components with a hit rate higher than 30%, such as Scutellariae Radix, Adenophorae Radix, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Coicis Semen, etc. To discuss the rule of TCM in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, the networks of TCM-channel tropism and TCM-efficacy of the potential herbs was constructed. The potential herbs for treating pulmonary fibrosis mostly belong to lung(degree=14) and spleen(degree value=8), and the efficacy is focused on reinforcing deficiency(degree=9). Qiyin Prescription and Buzhong Yiqi Decoction contain the largest number of the potential herbs. The main symptom of COVID-19 is damp-heat stagnating in the lung, which always causes impairment of body fluid and Qi. Clinical observation shows that patients in the recovery period are mostly at the status that the remaining virus toxicity is not exhausted while the vital Qi have not recovered. The results of this study are expected to provide references for clinical medication in preventing and treating pulmonary fibrosis caused by COVID-19.