Licorice-saponin A3 is a broad-spectrum inhibitor for COVID-19 by targeting viral spike and anti-inflammation

Currently,human health due to corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has been seriously threatened.The coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)spike(S)protein plays a crucial role in virus transmission and several S-based therapeutic approaches have been approved for the treatment of COVID-19.However,the efficacy is compromised by the SARS-CoV-2 evolvement and mutation.Here we report the SARS-CoV-2 S protein receptor-binding domain(RBD)inhibitor licorice-saponin A3(A3)could widely inhibit RBD of SARS-CoV-2 variants,including Beta,Delta,and Omicron BA.1,XBB and BQ1.1.Furthermore,A3 could potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Omicron virus in Vero E6 cells,with EC50 of 1.016μM.The mechanism was related to binding with Y453 of RBD determined by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry(HDX-MS)analysis combined with quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics(QM/MM)simulations.Interestingly,phosphoproteomics analysis and multi fluorescent immunohistochemistry(mIHC)respectively indicated that A3 also inhibits host inflammation by directly modulating the JNK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)pathways and rebalancing the corresponding immune dysregulation.This work supports A3 as a promising broad-spectrum small molecule drug candidate for COVID-19.

Network Pharmacology-Based Dissection of the Bioactive Compounds and Pharmacological Mechanisms of Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection for the Treatment of Heart Failure

Objective:Yiqi Fumai Lyophilized Injection(YQFM),a Chinese medicine injection,has been widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases,especially heart failure(HF).However,bioactive compounds and underlying mechanisms of YQFM in treating HF remain poorly understood.Materials and Methods:Network pharmacology was employed to investigate the bioactive compounds and mechanisms of YQFM.A compound-target network was constructed to screen bioactive compounds based on contribution index calculation.Then,an adriamycin-induced HF rat model was established to evaluate the cardio-protective effects of YQFM by hematoxylin and eosin staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results:Network pharmacology indicated that YQFM may alleviate HF through 36 compounds and 109 targets.Particularly,ginsenosides Rb1,Rg1,Re,Rf,Rb2,Rh1,schisandrin,and ginsenoside Rc were indicated as the top contributors of YQFM in treating HF.YQFM was predicted to act on multiple targets such as vascular endothelial growth factor A,interleukin-2(IL-2),IL-6,and IL-1β,as well as to regulate signaling pathways such as hypoxia-inducible factor 1,tumor necrosis factor,VEGF,and PI3K-Akt.The pharmacological study suggested that YQFM could attenuate cardiac injury and up-regulate plasma concentrations of VEGFR-1 and NO in HF rats.Ginsenoside Rb1,as the major contributor from network pharmacology analysis,also showed a cardioprotective effect and up-regulation of VEGFR-1 in plasma.Conclusions:Ginsenosides and schisandrin were predicted as the most important contributors to the cardioprotective effect of YQMF.Ginsenoside Rb1 was proved to alleviate HF and increase the plasma concentration of VEGFR-1.

The artificial intelligence pharma era after“Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer”

The era of advanced artificial intelligence has arrived with the development of chatbots like ChatGPT(Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer).As described by Ouyang et al.(2022),ChatGPT demonstrates an impressive ability to generate human-like responses and solve practical problems,surpassing original expectations for its capabilities.The rapid release and adoption of ChatGPT signals a new phase in AI development,powered by large language models that can be fine-tuned through human feedback.However,risks remain regarding how such powerful models may be misused.Further research is needed to ensure safe and ethical deployment of these transformative technologies.