Potential Mechanisms of Action of Chinese Patent Medicines for COVID-19: A Review

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emergent infectious pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is highly contagious and pathogenic. COVID-19 has rapidly swept across the world since it was first discovered in December 2019 and has drawn significant attention worldwide. During the early stages of the outbreak in China, traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) were involved in the whole treatment process. As an indispensable part of TCM, Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) played an irreplaceable role in the prevention and treatment of this epidemic. Their use has achieved remarkable therapeutic efficacy during the period of medical observation and clinical treatment of mild, moderate, severe, and critical cases and during convalescence. In order to better propagate and make full use of the benefits of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19, this review will summarize the potential target of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the theoretical basis and clinical efficacy of recommended 22 CPMs by the National Health Commission and the Administration of TCM and local provinces or cities in the treatment of COVID-19. Additionally, the study will further analyze the drug composition, potential active ingredients, potential targets, regulated signaling pathways, and possible mechanisms for COVID-19 through anti-inflammatory and immunoregulation, antiviral, improve lung injury, antipyretic and organ protection to provide meaningful information about the clinical application of CPMs.

Chinese Patent Medicine Shufeng Jiedu Capsules as an Adjuvant Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

“…Pre-clinical research has corroborated that SFJD may have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic and immunomodulatory effects ( Bao et al, 2016 ; Xia et al, 2021 ; Ji et al, 2020 ; Li et al, 2017 ; Yuan et al, 2018 ; Yang et al, 2021 ; Tao et al, 2017 ). In a mouse model, SFJD acted as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial against gram positive and negative bacterial organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( Bao et al, 2016 ).…”

Simple Theoretical Criterion for Selection of Natural Compounds with Anti-COVID-19 Activity

“…However, these studies still leave the question of whether these extraordinary health effects are the consequence of some unique properties of the herbal ingredients in these preparations. In order to answer this question, we analyzed the electronic properties, represented by the molecular descriptors AQVN and EIIP, of chemi-cal ingredients of 22 therapeutic TMC preparations recommended for COVID-19 in China [33]. The molecular descriptors AQVN and EIIP, calculated for 92 essential compounds from these preparations, are given in Table 1 (Ref.…”

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale for Chinese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In the present study, the two deleted items were “I am afraid of losing my life because of Coronavirus-19” and “When watching news and stories about Coronavirus-19 on social media, I become nervous or anxious”. These descriptions may not fit well with the current situation of the epidemic in China, as the COVID-19 epidemic has overall been well-controlled and Chinese people tend to believe in the government’s ability to deal with COVID-19 [ 47 ]. More importantly, this difference may come from the specificity of college students as a group.…”