Network-Based Analysis of The Genetic Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection To Patients With Exacerbation of Virus-Induced Asthma (VAE)

Abstract

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel RNA virus that emerged in late 2019 and was responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The WHO has declared the COVID-19 in the world pandemic. The most exacerbations of asthma are triggered by viral infections. However, the genetic effects of COVID-19 on asthma need to be further studied. Results Eighty-eight common differentially expressed genes (cDEGs) were identified in datasets GSE147507 and GSE30326. Function analysis showed that cDEGs has antiviral activity, histone kinase activity, chemokine activity and viral protein interaction with cytokine activity. protein–protein interactions (PPIs) network revealed that the proteins encoded by CDEGs interact with each other at a high frequency. Hub genes and essential modules were detected based on the PPIs network. Transcription factors (TF) and miRNA interaction with cDEGs are identified. Drug molecules such as suloctidil HL60 UP and Yu Ping Feng San were recommended for the treatment of novel coronavirus-induced exacerbation of asthma. Conclusions COVID-19 has a genetic effect on virus-induced exacerbation of asthma, and the hub genes we screened may be a potential therapeutic target.

Network pharmacology reveals multitarget mechanism of action of drugs to be repurposed for COVID-19

“…This network pharmacology workflow has enabled us to identify some relevant drugs as candidates for drug repurposing for the treatment of COVID-19 progression based on the viral and human protein interactions observed in our networks. Some of the drugs identified in the present study have in fact been proposed as candidates for the treatment of COVID-19 by different authors, for example, 1) disulfiram, where its uses are associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 ( Fillmore et al, 2021 ); 2) auranofin, which inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and attenuates inflammation in human cells ( Marzo and Messori, 2020 ; Rothan et al, 2020 ); 3) suloctidil, which was recommended for the treatment of COVID-19-induced exacerbation of asthma ( Guo et al, 2021 ); and 4) gefitinib, which was reported to inhibit spike-driven fusion ( Braga et al, 2021 ).…”