Bioactive compounds from Huashi Baidu decoction possess both antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects against COVID-19.
Xu, H., Li, S., Liu, J., Cheng, J., Kang, L., Li, W., Zhong, Y., Wei, C., Fu, L., Qi, J., Zhang, Y., You, M., Zhou, Z., Zhang, C., Su, H., Yao, S., Zhou, Z., Shi, Y., Deng, R., Lv, Q., Li, F., Qi, F., Chen, J., Zhang, S., Ma, X., Xu, Z., Li, S., Xu, Y., Peng, K., Shi, Y., Jiang, H., Gao, G.F., Huang, L.(2023) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 120: e2301775120-e2301775120
- PubMed: 37094153 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2301775120
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
7YQF, 7YSX - PubMed Abstract: 
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an ongoing global health concern, and effective antiviral reagents are urgently needed. Traditional Chinese medicine theory-driven natural drug research and development (TCMT-NDRD) is a feasible method to address this issue as the traditional Chinese medicine formulae have been shown effective in the treatment of COVID-19. Huashi Baidu decoction (Q-14) is a clinically approved formula for COVID-19 therapy with antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, an integrative pharmacological strategy was applied to identify the antiviral and anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds from Q-14. Overall, a total of 343 chemical compounds were initially characterized, and 60 prototype compounds in Q-14 were subsequently traced in plasma using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Among the 60 compounds, six compounds (magnolol, glycyrrhisoflavone, licoisoflavone A, emodin, echinatin, and quercetin) were identified showing a dose-dependent inhibition effect on the SARS-CoV-2 infection, including two inhibitors (echinatin and quercetin) of the main protease (M pro ), as well as two inhibitors (glycyrrhisoflavone and licoisoflavone A) of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Meanwhile, three anti-inflammatory components, including licochalcone B, echinatin, and glycyrrhisoflavone, were identified in a SARS-CoV-2-infected inflammatory cell model. In addition, glycyrrhisoflavone and licoisoflavone A also displayed strong inhibitory activities against cAMP-specific 3',5'-cyclic phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4). Crystal structures of PDE4 in complex with glycyrrhisoflavone or licoisoflavone A were determined at resolutions of 1.54 Å and 1.65 Å, respectively, and both compounds bind in the active site of PDE4 with similar interactions. These findings will greatly stimulate the study of TCMT-NDRD against COVID-19.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.