A network analysis of the Chinese medicine Lianhua-Qingwen formula to identify its main effective components

Abstract

Chinese medicine is known to treat complex diseases with multiple components and multiple targets. However, the main effective components and their related key targets and functions remain to be identified. Herein, a network analysis method was developed to identify the main effective components and key targets of a Chinese medicine, Lianhua-Qingwen Formula (LQF). The LQF is commonly used for the prevention and treatment of viral influenza in China. It is composed of 11 herbs, gypsum and menthol with 61 compounds being identified in our previous work. In this paper, these 61 candidate compounds were used to find their related targets and construct the predicted-target (PT) network. An influenza-related protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed and integrated with the PT network. Then the compound-effective target (CET) network and compound-ineffective target network (CIT) were extracted, respectively. A novel approach was developed to identify effective components by comparing CET and CIT networks. As a result, 15 main effective components were identified along with 61 corresponding targets. 7 of these main effective components were further experimentally validated to have antivirus efficacy in vitro. The main effective component-target (MECT) network was further constructed with main effective components and their key targets. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of the MECT network predicted key functions such as NO production being modulated by the LQF. Interestingly, five effective components were experimentally tested and exhibited inhibitory effects on NO production in the LPS induced RAW 264.7 cell. In summary, we have developed a novel approach to identify the main effective components in a Chinese medicine LQF and experimentally validated some of the predictions.

Exploring the Mechanisms of Lian Hua Qing Wen Capsule against COVID-19 by Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approach

“…LHQW capsule has been recommended for the treatment of patients with mild symptoms in 7th edition of COVID-19 treatment guidelines and widely used in the clinical treatment of COVID-19 in China [23]. LHQW capsule has been demonstrated to have anti-infection or antiviral effects in vitro or in vivo [24][25][26]. In the present study, network pharmacological and molecular docking approaches were used to explore the mechanisms of LHQW capsule treating COVID-19.…”

Efficacy and Outcomes of Lianhuaqingwen Capsule for Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Retrospective Propensity Score Matching Analysis

“…In the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, current treatment results have suggested the prescription of traditional Chinese medications are likely to be effective for COVID-19 pneumonia patients [32]. Li [34]. The key components of Forsythia suspense has been proved to inhibit the expression of in uenza M1 protein to block the spread of different in uenza viruses in cell cultures [35].…”

Benign COVID-19 in an immunocompromised cancer patient - the case of a married couple

“…Lu et al [12], in an early overview of possible options for COVID-19 treatment, mentioned lopinavir/ritonavir, nucleoside analogues, neuraminidase inhibitors, remdesivir [13], peptide EK1 [14]), arbidol [15], RNA synthesis inhibitors (such as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine), anti-inflammatory drugs (such as hormones and other molecules), along with Chinese traditional medicines, such as ShuFengJieDu [16] and Lianhuaqingwen [17].…”