Natural products provide a new perspective for anti-complement treatment of severe COVID-19: a review

Abstract

Exaggerated immune response and cytokine storm are accounted for the severity of COVID-19, including organ dysfunction, especially progressive respiratory failure and generalized coagulopathy. Uncontrolled activation of complement contributes to acute and chronic inflammation, the generation of cytokine storm, intravascular coagulation and cell/tissue damage, which may be a favorable target for the treatment of multiple organ failure and reduction of mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Cytokine storm suppression therapy can alleviate the symptoms of critically ill patients to some extent, but as a remedial etiological measure, its long-term efficacy is still questionable. Anti-complement therapy has undoubtedly become an important hotspot in the upstream regulation of cytokine storm. However, chemosynthetic complement inhibitors are expensive, and their drug resistance and long-term side effects require further investigation. New complement inhibitors with high efficiency and low toxicity can be obtained from natural products at low development cost. This paper puts forward some insights of the development of natural anti-complement products in traditional Chinese medicine, that may provide a bright perspective for suppressing cytokine storm in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Integrative network pharmacology and experimental verification to reveal the anti-inflammatory mechanism of ginsenoside Rh4

“…Therefore, the extensive study of the inflammation pathways and the development of effective inflammation-modulating drugs are the most challenging area in the field of life science and pharmacology. At present, traditional Chinese medicine has become an emerging candidate for the treatment of inflammation because of its potent efficacy and fewer side effects ( Fan et al, 2021 ) .…”

Classic mechanisms and experimental models for the anti‐inflammatory effect of traditional Chinese medicine

“…In clotting systems, thrombin and fibrinolytic enzymes are related to the permeability of vascular tissue, leukocyte chemotaxis and vascular inflammation. Many studies 59 , 60 have shown that complement, kinin and clotting systems play a key role in the anti‐inflammatory effect of Chinese medicine.…”

Clinical and economic analysis of Gastrodin injection for dizziness or vertigo: a retrospective cohort study based on electronic health records in China

“…In clinical practice, Extract of Ginkgo Biloba Leaves injection has been widely used for dizziness, vertigo, and cerebral infarction with low toxicity and a good curative effect with little adverse reaction [ 35 – 37 ]. It is a naturally extracted medicine, like Gastrodin injection, which can provide new treatment with high efficiency and low toxicity at low development cost [ 38 ]. The development of phytomedicine based on modern medicine and pharmaceutical theory is an innovation and has been recognized [ 39 ].…”