ABSTRACT
Severe mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from the lack of effective treatment. Although COVID-19 vaccines are available, their side effects have become a challenge for clinical use in patients with chronic diseases, especially cancer patients. In the current report, we applied network pharmacology and systematic bioinformatics to explore the use of biochanin A in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and COVID-19 infection. Using the network pharmacology approach, we identified two clusters of genes involved in immune response (IL1A, IL2, and IL6R) and cell proliferation (CCND1, PPARG, and EGFR) mediated by biochanin A in CRC/COVID-19 condition. The functional analysis of these two gene clusters further illustrated the effects of biochanin A on interleukin-6 production and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction in CRC/COVID-19 pathology. In addition, pathway analysis demonstrated the control of PI3K-Akt and JAK-STAT signaling pathways by biochanin A in the treatment of CRC/COVID-19. The findings of this study provide a therapeutic option for combination therapy against COVID-19 infection in CRC patients.
Subject(s)
Anticarcinogenic Agents/therapeutic use , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Genistein/therapeutic use , Phytoestrogens/therapeutic use , Atlases as Topic , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/pathology , COVID-19/virology , Colorectal Neoplasms/immunology , Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology , Colorectal Neoplasms/virology , Cyclin D1/genetics , Cyclin D1/immunology , ErbB Receptors/genetics , ErbB Receptors/immunology , Humans , Interleukin-1alpha/genetics , Interleukin-1alpha/immunology , Interleukin-2/genetics , Interleukin-2/immunology , Janus Kinases/genetics , Janus Kinases/immunology , Metabolic Networks and Pathways/drug effects , Metabolic Networks and Pathways/genetics , Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods , Multigene Family , Network Pharmacology/methods , PPAR gamma/genetics , PPAR gamma/immunology , Pharmacogenetics/methods , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/immunology , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/immunology , Receptors, Interleukin-6/genetics , Receptors, Interleukin-6/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , SARS-CoV-2/growth & development , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , STAT Transcription Factors/genetics , STAT Transcription Factors/immunology , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
Vaccine design traditionally focuses on inducing adaptive immune responses against a sole target pathogen. Considering that many microbes evade innate immune mechanisms to initiate infection, and in light of the discovery of epigenetically mediated innate immune training, the paradigm of vaccine design has the potential to change. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine induces some level of protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) while stimulating trained immunity that correlates with lower mortality and increased protection against unrelated pathogens. This review will explore BCG-induced trained immunity, including the required pathways to establish this phenotype. Additionally, potential methods to improve or expand BCG trained immunity effects through alternative vaccine delivery and formulation methods will be discussed. Finally, advances in new anti-Mtb vaccines, other antimicrobial uses for BCG, and "innate memory-based vaccines" will be examined.
Subject(s)
Adaptive Immunity/drug effects , BCG Vaccine/administration & dosage , COVID-19/prevention & control , Epigenesis, Genetic/drug effects , Myeloid Cells/drug effects , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/prevention & control , Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine/immunology , Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine/metabolism , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/virology , Cross Protection , Epigenesis, Genetic/immunology , Histones/genetics , Histones/immunology , Humans , Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Myeloid Cells/immunology , Myeloid Cells/pathology , Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein/genetics , Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein/immunology , Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Molecules/immunology , Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Molecules/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/immunology , Signal Transduction , TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics , TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/immunology , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/immunology , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/microbiologyABSTRACT
Aberrant T cell differentiation and lymphopenia are hallmarks of severe COVID-19 disease. Since T cells must race to cull infected cells, they are quick to differentiate and achieve cytotoxic function. With this responsiveness, comes hastened apoptosis, due to a coupled mechanism of death and differentiation in both CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes via CD95 (Fas) and serine-threonine kinase (Akt). T cell lymphopenia in severe cases may represent cell death or peripheral migration. These facets depict SARS-Cov-2 as a lympho-manipulative pathogen; it distorts T cell function, numbers, and death, and creates a dysfunctional immune response. Whether preservation of T cells, prevention of their aberrant differentiation, and expansion of their population may alter disease course is unknown. Its investigation requires experimental interrogation of the linked differentiation and death pathway by agents known to uncouple T cell proliferation and differentiation in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.