State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease for Allergy, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Allergy & Immunology, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, P. R. China.
Department of Respirology & Allergy, Third Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518020, P. R. China.
Am J Chin Med. 2021;49(5):1045-1061. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X21500506.
A novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 is causing the severe acute pneumonia (COVID-19) and rapid spread nationally and internationally, resulting in a major global health emergency. Chinese governments and scientists have implemented a series of rigorous measures and scientific research to prevent and control the SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, there is still no specific antiviral drug or vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. It has been proven that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exerts an important role in the prevention and treatment of the COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 during the outbreak. Although the therapeutic effects of these TCM formulas are attractive, the molecular mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. An emerging strategy of systems pharmacology has been proposed to be a promising method to interpret drug action in complex biological systems and quickly screen out the bioactive compounds from TCM to treat treatment of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, in this study, the epidemiology, TCM therapy, and the systems pharmacology-based method for TCM are reviewed for COVID-19 to provide a perspective for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further efforts should be made to reduce disease burden and improve the ability to design antiviral drugs and vaccines, which will benefit the health care system, economic development and even social stability.
一种名为 SARS-CoV-2 的新型冠状病毒正在引起严重的急性肺炎（COVID-19），并在国内外迅速传播，导致重大的全球卫生紧急情况。中国政府和科学家已经采取了一系列严格的措施和科学研究来预防和控制 SARS-CoV-2 的感染。然而，目前仍然没有针对 SARS-CoV-2 的特定抗病毒药物或疫苗。事实证明，在 SARS-CoV-2 引起的 COVID-19 爆发期间，中药（TCM）在预防和治疗方面发挥了重要作用。虽然这些中药配方的治疗效果很有吸引力，但作用机制尚未完全阐明。系统药理学这一新兴策略被提出是一种有前途的方法，可以解释复杂生物系统中的药物作用，并从 TCM 中快速筛选出治疗 SARS-CoV-2 引起的 COVID-19 的生物活性化合物。因此，在这项研究中，对 COVID-19 的流行病学、TCM 疗法和基于系统药理学的 TCM 方法进行了综述，为 SARS-CoV-2 感染的预防和治疗提供了一个视角。应进一步努力减轻疾病负担，提高设计抗病毒药物和疫苗的能力，这将有利于医疗保健系统、经济发展甚至社会稳定。
