Network pharmacology analysis on mechanisms of xuanfei baidu prescription in treatment of SARS, MERS and COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the effective components, target and signal pathway of Xuanfei Baidu Prescription in treatment of coronavirus infection, and to explain its mechanism of action. Methods A network of Character, taste, and meridian of Xuanfei Baidu Prescription was constructed using Cytoscape. Effective components and related targets of Xuanfei Baidu Prescription were selected by using TCMSP database, SwissADME database, and Swiss Target Prediction database. Disease targets of SARS, MERS and COVID-19 were collected using GeneCards database and CTD database. Drug targets and disease targets were intersected, and Cytoscape software was used to construct the network diagram. Using String database, the network model of protein-protein interaction (PPI) was constructed for potential targets. Metascape database was used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of potential targets, and Cytoscape was used to construct the network diagram. Results The results showed that 10 ingredients in Xuanfeibaidu Prescription are associated with the Lung meridian. 167 active components and 242 potential targets were screened out. The core drugs were Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.,Ephedrae Herba, Artemisia annua L, Verbena officinalis L., Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc.. The core components were quercetin, stigmasterol, kaempferol, luteolin, isorhamnetin. The core targets were AKT1, IL-6, TP53, VEGFA, TNF. The possible mechanism of action is related to several signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, and so on. Conclusion This study explored the potential common mechanism of Xuanfei Baidu Prescription on SARS, MERS and COVID-19, reflecting the multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway characteristics of TCM.