COMPONENTS AND ACTION MECHANISMS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE AGAINST COVID-19
Abstract
Qing-Fei-Pai-Du decoction (QFPD) is another well-known TCM formula against COVID-19. Leupeptin, a microbial-derived metabolite discovered from QFPD, can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Mᵖʳᵒ and suppress viral propagation at the cellular level. Produced by medicinal-plant-symbiotic Streptomyces species, leupeptin indicates that pharmacologically active substances of TCM herbs do not merely originate from plant tissues. Instead, medicinal herbs, symbiotic microorganisms and microbial metabolites together constitute an ecosystem of bioactive substances for TCM. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that TCM formulae exert anti-COVID-19 effects via a multi-component and multi-target mode: they directly target key viral proteins to restrain viral replication, and act on host inflammatory pathways to alleviate inflammatory injury. In addition, microbial-originated metabolites constitute a non-negligible source of TCM bioactive components. These findings provide important theoretical support for the modernization research of TCM and the discovery of lead natural compounds against SARS-CoV-2.
Publication Details
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.