Material basis and pharmacodynamic mechanism of YangshenDingzhi granules in the intervention of viral pneumonia:Based on serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology

Background:YangshenDingzhi granules(YSDZ)are clinically effective in preventing and treating COVID-19.The present study elucidates the underlying mechanism of YSDZ intervention in viral pneumonia by employing serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology.Methods:The chemical constituents of YSDZ in the blood were examined using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS).Potential protein targets were obtained from the SwissTargetPrediction database,and the target genes associated with viral pneumonia were identified using GeneCards,DisGeNET,and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM)databases.The intersection of blood component-related targets and disease-related targets was determined using Venny 2.1.Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed using the STRING database.The Metascape database was employed to perform enrichment analyses of Gene Ontology(GO)functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathways for the targets,while the Cytoscape 3.9.1 software was utilized to construct drug-component-disease-target-pathway networks.Further,in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to establish the therapeutic effectiveness of YSDZ against viral pneumonia.Results:Fifteen compounds and 124 targets linked to viral pneumonia were detected in serum.Among these,MAPK1,MAPK3,AKT1,EGFR,and TNF play significant roles.In vitro tests revealed that the medicated serum suppressed the replication of H1N1,RSV,and SARS-CoV-2 replicon.Further,in vivo testing analysis shows that YSDZ decreases the viral load in the lungs of mice infected with RSV and H1N1.Conclusion:The chemical constituents of YSDZ in the blood may elicit therapeutic effects against viral pneumonia by targeting multiple proteins and pathways.

Investigation of oligomeric proanthocyanidins extracted from Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizomes using deep eutectic solvents and identified via data-dependent acquisition mass-spectroscopy

In this study,34 deep eutectic solvents(DESs)were successfully prepared for the extraction of proanthocyanidin from Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizomes.The extraction process was optimized using single factor exploration and Box-Behnken design-response surface analysis.The extraction rate was significantly improved when the molar ratio of choline chloride to 1,3-propanediol was 1:3.5 and the water content was 30%(V/V)in DESs.AB-8 macroporous resin and ethyl acetate were used for separation and refining,and the oligomer-rich proanthocyanidin components were eventually obtained.The ultraviolet(UV)and infrared(IR)spectra showed that the proanthocyanidins were mainly composed of catechin and epicatechin.To further clarify the chemical composition of proanthocyanidin,an ion scan list containing 156 proanthocyanidins precursors was obtained by constructing a proanthocyanidins structural library and mass defect filtering(MDF)algorithm,combined with the full mass spectrometry(MS)/dd-MS2 scan mode that turns on the“if idle pick others”function.By using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution MS(UHPLC/HRMS),the analysis used both targeted and nontargeted methods to detect proanthocyanidins.Finally,50 oligomeric proanthocyanidin(OPC)compounds were identified,including 7 monomers,22 dimers,20 trimers,and 1 tetramer,most of which were procyanidins of proanthocyanidins(84%),and a small amount of prodelphinidin(14%)and other types of proanthocyanidins(2%),which enabled the systematic characterization of proanthocyanidin components from Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizomes.Meanwhile,the comparison with the grape seeds OPCs standard(United States Pharmacopeia)revealed that the proanthocyanidins in Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizomes were more abundant,suggesting that the proanthocyanidins in Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizomes has promising applications.

Network pharmacology approaches for research of Traditional Chinese Medicines

Pharmacodynamics material basis and effective mechanisms are the two main issues to decipher the mechnisms of action of Traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs)for the treatment of diseases.TCMs,in“multi-component,multi-target,multi-pathway”paradigm,show satisfactory clinical results in complex diseases.New ideas and methods are urgently needed to explain the complex interactions between TCMs and diseases.Network pharmacology(NP)provides a novel paradigm to uncover and visualize the underlying interaction networks of TCMs against multifactorial diseases.The development and application of NP has promoted the safety,efficacy,and mechanism investigations of TCMs,which then reinforces the credibility and popularity of TCMs.The current organcentricity of medicine and the“one disease-one target-one drug”dogma obstruct the understanding of complex diseases and the development of effective drugs.Therefore,more attentions should be paid to shift from“phenotype and symptom”to“endotype and cause”in understanding and redefining current diseases.In the past two decades,with the advent of advanced and intelligent technologies(such as metabolomics,proteomics,transcriptomics,single-cell omics,and artificial intelligence),NP has been improved and deeply implemented,and presented its great value and potential as the next drug-discovery paradigm.NP is developed to cure causal mechanisms instead of treating symptoms.This review briefly summarizes the recent research progress on NP application in TCMs for efficacy research,mechanism elucidation,target prediction,safety evaluation,drug repurposing,and drug design.