The Therapeutic Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Inflammatory Diseases Caused by Virus, Especially on Those Caused by COVID-19

Abstract

Inflammasomes are large multimolecular complexes best recognized because of their ability to control activation of caspase-1, which in turn regulates the maturation of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and interleukin-1 β (IL-1β). IL-1β was originally identified as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, capable of inducing local and systemic inflammation as well as a fever response reaction in response to infection or injury. Excessive production of IL-1β is related to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Both coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are characterized by excessive inflammatory response. For SARS, there is no correlation between viral load and worsening symptoms. However, there is no specific medicine which is available to treat the disease. As an important part of medical practice, TCM showed an obvious therapeutic effect in SARS-CoV-infected patients. In this article, we summarize the current applications of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Herein, we also offer an insight into the underlying mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of TCM, as well as introduce new naturally occurring compounds with anti-coronavirus activity, in order to provide a new and potential drug development strategy for the treatment of COVID-19.

Large-scale microbiome analysis reveals bacterial community characteristics in typical Chinese herbal slices

“…In addition, Klebsiella , Citrobacter , Pantoea , and other genera have been reported as pathogenic bacteria or conditional pathogens (Liu et al 2018 ; Deng et al 2019 ; Li et al 2019 , 2020 , 2021b ; Shi et al 2019 ; Zhang et al 2020 ; Gan et al 2020 ; Song et al 2021 ). Some of the top 30 microbial genera pose no health risks, including Lactobacillus , Allobaculum , Weissella , Alitipes , Bifidobacterium , Romboutsia , and Blautia (Liu et al 2018 ; Deng et al 2019 ; Li et al 2019 , 2020 , 2021a , b ; Shi et al 2019 ; Zhang et al 2020 ; Gan et al 2020 ; Song et al 2021 ). In addition, according to the genus-level community structure composition of each CHS based on the top 30 genera, different kinds of CHSs showed different abundance patterns.…”

“…In 2018, the World Health Organisation included TCM in its globally influential medical compendium (Cyranoski 2018 ), and the awareness of and attention to TCM has gradually increased worldwide. Particularly, during various epidemics, such as malaria, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease-19, TCMs have shown good clinical performance and potential for further development (Liu et al 2012 ; Chen et al 2021 ; Christensen 2021 ; Li et al 2021a ; Wang and Yang 2021 ). Chinese herbal slices (CHSs) are prescription medicines produced by processing Chinese herb raw materials, and can be used directly as medicines; they also constitute the raw materials of Chinese patent medicines and medicine extracts (Deng et al 2019 ; Mo et al 2019 ; Song et al 2021 ), which are other important commodities of Chinese medicine (Song et al 2021 ).…”

Effectiveness and safety analysis of SanHanHuaShi granules for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019: Study protocol and statistical analysis plan for a randomized, parallel-controlled, open-label clinical trial

“…In the early stages of the outbreak, TCM was incorporated into prevention and treatment strategies, and played an important role in the fight against COVID-19 not only in China but also internationally ( Huang et al, 2020 ; Chu et al, 2021 ; Huang et al, 2021 ; Lyu et al, 2021 ; Wang and Yang, 2021 ). Owing to the synergistic effect of multiple components and multiple targets, Chinese herbal medicine has a comprehensive therapeutic effect in antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory functions, thereby aiding in preventing and treating COVID-19 ( Li P et al, 2021 ; Li BH et al, 2021 ; Ren et al, 2021 ). With the increase in the number of recovered patients from COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) become an important public health problem that can have a long-term impact on pulmonary and multiple extrapulmonary tissues and organs ( Wang and Yang, 1827 ).…”

Network Pharmacology Analysis of the Targets and Mechanisms of Sang Ju Yin for COVID-19 Treatment

“…Similarly, the TCM herbs Huangqin and Huangqi were notably used for inhibition of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus as the compounds significantly reduced autophagosome formation (Capodice & Chubak, 2021). TCM has been particularly effective against COVID-19 and the mounting clinical evidence demonstrates that TCM can prevent disease progression and relapse, reducing mortality rates and increasing recovery numbers (Li et al, 2021). The LHQW formula, in particular, is one of the most commonly used treatments as it can inhibit viral replication and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines at a transcriptomic level (Capodice & Chubak, 2021).…”

“…The LHQW formula, in particular, is one of the most commonly used treatments as it can inhibit viral replication and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines at a transcriptomic level (Capodice & Chubak, 2021). Specific formulas have also been developed for each stage of disease progression, ranging from onset and replication to inflammatory response and organ damage (Li et al, 2021).…”