Network Pharmacology and Bioinformatics Analyses Identify Intersection Genes of Vitamin D3 and COVID-19 as Potential Therapeutic Targets

Abstract

Purpose: The persistent pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the discovery of gastrointestinal transmission routes and the possible susceptibility of cancer patients to COVID-19 have forced us to search for effective pathways against stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD)/COVID-19. Vitamin D3 (VD3) is a steroid hormone with antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the possible functional role and potential mechanisms of action of VD3 as an anti-COVID-19 and anti- STAD.Methods: Clinicopathological analysis, enrichment analysis and protein interaction analysis using bioinformatics and network pharmacology methods. Validate the binding activity of VD3 to core pharmacological targets and viral crystal structures using molecular docking.Results: We revealed the clinical characteristics of STAD/COVID-19 patients. We also demonstrated that VD3 may be anti- STAD/COVID-19 through antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory pathways. Molecular docking results showed that VD3 binds well to the relevant targets of COVID-19, including the spike RBD/ACE2 complex and main protease (Mpro, also known as 3CLpro). We also identified five core pharmacological targets of VD3 in anti-STAD/COVID-19 and validated the binding activity of VD3 to PAI1 by molecular docking.Conclusion: This study reveals for the first time that VD3 may act on disease target gene SERPINE1 through inflammatory and viral related signaling pathways and biological functions for the therapy of STAD/COVID-19. This may provide a new idea for the use of VD3 in the treatment of STAD/COVID-19.

Expression of long non coding RNA H19& miR-675 in colorectal cancer and ulcerative colitis patients

“…Previous research revealed that miR-675 is derived from exon 1 of long noncoding RNA H19. H19 has a tumor suppression activity, whereas, its derivative miR-675 has shown to be oncogenic in gastric [12], liver [13] and lung cancer [14]. Hence, miR-675 is dysregulated in various types of cancers and may serve as a potential detector of carcinogenesis.…”

Insight into the Interaction Mechanism of Vitamin D against Metabolic Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis and In Silico Study

“…This approach has gained extensive use in food science, particularly in investigating prevention and treatment strategies for cardiovascular diseases [20][21][22][23][24][25]. Furthermore, network pharmacology, as a methodology that reevaluates existing drugs, aids in discovering the potential efficacy and mechanisms of drugs already approved for treating new diseases, thus reducing the time and cost of developing new drugs [26][27][28][29][30]. In addition, systematic network pharmacology has been applied in the food field to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the interactions between small molecules and diseases [31,32].…”

Systematic exploration of network pharmacology, in silico modeling and pharmacokinetic profiling for vitamin E in polycystic ovarian syndrome

“…Through computational methods, this study explores the hormonal and anti-inflammatory attributes of vitamin E. The study utilized network pharmacology, a method that explores the connections between diseases, genes and potential treatments. This approach aimed to uncover the molecular foundations of drug actions and biological systems, encompassing human organs, diseases, metabolic pathways and target proteins [ 20 , 21 ]. Additionally, the study involved analyzing and summarizing pharmacokinetic parameters, potential adverse effects and toxicity assessments.…”