Mechanism of Jinzhen oral liquid in treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 based on network pharmacology/ 药学实践杂志

Objective  To explore the molecular targets and related potential pathways of Jinzhen oral liquid in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods  The potential blood-entry active ingredients and targets of Jinzhen oral liquid were retrieved by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). COVID-19 related gene targets were retrieved through GeneCard. Protein-protein interaction network of common targets was constructed by String. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis of the intersection network were conducted by Bioconductor Database. Results  141 active ingredients were screened according to oral bioavailability and drug similarity. 350 target genes directly related to COVID-19 were obtained from the GeneCard. 47 genes were obtained from the intersection of component-target and disease-target. These genes were mainly involved in response to lipopolysaccharide, oxidative stress and other biological processes. Molecular functions were mainly related to cytokine receptor binding, cytokine activity, receptor ligand activity, etc. The active ingredients were related to IL-17 signaling pathway, TNF and Influenza A signaling pathway, etc. Conclusion  The possible active compounds of Jinzhen oral liquid could be anti-viral and anti-inflammatory that could have potential therapeutic effect against virus infection, lung injury and inflammation caused by SARS-CoV-2.