Search

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) poses a serious threat to human health. In China, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mainly based on the Maxing Shigan decoction (MXSGD), is used in conjunction with western medicine to treat COVID-19. We conducted a network meta-analysis to investigate whether MXSGD-related TCM combined with western medicine is more effective in treating COVID-19 compared to western medicine alone. Additionally, using network pharmacology, cross-docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to explore the potential active compounds and possible targets underlying the therapeutic effects of MXSGD-related TCM. MXSGD-related TCM combined with western medicine was better for treating COVID-19 compared to western medicine alone. Network pharmacological analysis identified 43 shared ingredients in the MXSGD-related TCM prescriptions and 599 common target genes. Cross-docking of the 43 compounds with 154 proteins that matched these genes led to the identification of 60 proteins. Pathway profiling revealed that the active ingredients participated in multiple signaling pathways that contribute to their efficacy. Molecular docking and MD simulation demonstrated that MOL007214, the most promising molecule, could stably bind to the active site of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. This study demonstrates the important role of MXSGD-related TCM in the treatment of COVID-19.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are toxic proteins that can inhibit protein synthesis. RIPs purified from Bougainvillea have low nonspecific toxicity, showing promise for processing applications in the agricultural and medical fields. However, systematic research on the polymorphism of Bougainvillea RIPs is lacking, and it is worth exploring whether different isoforms differ in their active characteristics. The transcriptional and translational expression of type I RIPs in Bougainvillea glabra leaves was investigated in this study. Seven RIPs exhibited seasonal variation at both the mRNA and protein levels. The isoforms BI4 and BI6 showed the highest transcriptional expression in both the summer and autumn samples. Interestingly, BI6 was not detected in the protein level in any of the samples. However, the bioinformatics analysis showed that RIPs derived from the same species were gathered in a different cluster, and that the active sites changed among the isoforms during evolution. The significant discrepancy in Bougainvillea RIPs mainly locates at both termini of the amino acid sequence, particularly at the C terminus. Post-translational modifications may also exist in Bougainvillea RIPs. It is concluded that the reason for the polymorphism of Bougainvillea RIPs may be that these proteins are encoded by multiple genes due to genetic processes such as gene duplication and mutation. According to the results of sequence analysis, the possible functional differences of B. glabra RIP isoforms are discussed with regard to the observed discrepancy in both active sites and structures.

Leaf scald caused by Xanthomonas albilineans (Ashby) Downson is a destructive disease of sugarcane that can cause severe economic losses. During 2013–2017, 357 sugarcane leaf samples were collected from four provinces in China: 141 samples were taken from plants showing symptoms attributed to leaf scald and 216 were taken from asymptomatic plants. A previously described PCR protocol and PCR primers (XAF1/XAR1) targeting a putative ATP (adenosine triphosphate)-biding cassette (ABC) transporter gene (XALc_1791) were used to detect X. albilineans in these leaf samples. The pathogen was detected in 73% and 17% of symptomatic and asymptomatic leaf samples, respectively. The PCR-amplified fragments (608 bp) from 140 Xa-positive samples were cloned and sequenced. A total of 241 XALc gene sequences were obtained and compared to 13 sequences of X. albilineans isolates retrieved from GenBank. The isolates from China had 99.1–100% sequence identity with one another and 99.5–100% with four strains from the French West Indies (GPE PC73, GPE PC17, GPE PC86, and MTQ032) and one from Florida/USA (XaFLO7-1). Our findings show that X. albilineans causes leaf scald of sugarcane in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, and Fujian provinces, suggesting that this disease could be a potential threat to the sugarcane industry in China.