Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.
Department of Pharmacy, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan 717, Taiwan.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Oct 11;24(20):15062. doi: 10.3390/ijms242015062.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), stemming from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has had a profound global impact. This highly contagious pneumonia remains a significant ongoing threat. Uncertainties persist about the virus's effects on human health, underscoring the need for treatments and prevention. Current research highlights angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) as key targets against SARS-CoV-2. The virus relies on ACE2 to enter cells and TMPRSS2 to activate its spike protein. Inhibiting ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression can help prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. (L.) Kuntze, a medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine, shows various promising pharmacological properties. In this study, ethanolic extracts of were examined both in vivo (250 and 500 μM) and in vitro (500 μM). Through Western blotting analysis, a significant reduction in the expression levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 proteins was observed in HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) cells and HEK 293T (human embryonic kidney) cell lines without inducing cellular damage. The principal constituents of , namely, ovatodiolide (5 and 10 μM), anisomlic acid (5 and 10 μM), and apigenin (12.5 and 25 μM), were also found to produce the same effect. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of mouse liver, kidney, and lung tissues demonstrated a decrease in ACE2 and TMPRSS2 protein expression levels. Consequently, this article suggests that and its constituents have the potential to reduce ACE2 and TMPRSS2 protein expression levels, thus aiding in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）源自严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2），对全球产生了深远影响。这种高传染性肺炎仍然是一个重大的持续威胁。人们对该病毒对人类健康的影响仍存在不确定性，这突显了对治疗方法和预防措施的需求。目前的研究强调血管紧张素转换酶 2（ACE2）和跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶 2（TMPRSS2）是针对 SARS-CoV-2 的关键靶点。该病毒依赖 ACE2 进入细胞，依赖 TMPRSS2 激活其刺突蛋白。抑制 ACE2 和 TMPRSS2 的表达有助于预防和治疗 SARS-CoV-2 感染。（L.）Kuntze 是一种传统中药中的药用植物，具有多种有前途的药理学特性。在这项研究中，对 的乙醇提取物进行了体内（250 和 500 μM）和体外（500 μM）研究。通过 Western blot 分析，在 HepG2（人肝癌）细胞和 HEK 293T（人胚肾）细胞系中观察到 ACE2 和 TMPRSS2 蛋白表达水平显著降低，而没有诱导细胞损伤。 的主要成分，即卵形二烯内酯（5 和 10 μM）、异桉脂酸（5 和 10 μM）和芹菜素（12.5 和 25 μM），也产生了相同的效果。此外，对小鼠肝、肾和肺组织的免疫组织化学分析表明 ACE2 和 TMPRSS2 蛋白表达水平降低。因此，本文认为 及其成分具有降低 ACE2 和 TMPRSS2 蛋白表达水平的潜力，从而有助于预防 SARS-CoV-2 感染。
