Folic acid: a potential inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein
作者全名："Chen, Yu-Meng; Wei, Jin-Lai; Qin, Rui-Si; Hou, Jin-Ping; Zang, Guang-Chao; Zhang, Guang-Yuan; Chen, Ting-Ting"
作者地址："[Chen, Yu-Meng; Qin, Rui-Si; Zang, Guang-Chao; Zhang, Guang-Yuan; Chen, Ting-Ting] Chongqing Med Univ, Lab Teaching & Management Ctr, Lab Tissue & Cell Biol, Chongqing, Peoples R China; [Wei, Jin-Lai] Chongqing Med Univ, Dept Gastrointestinal Surg, Affiliated Hosp 1, Chongqing, Peoples R China; [Hou, Jin-Ping] Chongqing Med Univ, Childrens Hosp, Gen Surg Neonatal Surg, Chongqing, Peoples R China; [Zhang, Guang-Yuan; Chen, Ting-Ting] Chongqing Med Univ, Lab Teaching & Management Ctr, Pathogen Biol & Immunol Lab, Chongqing, Peoples R China"
通信作者："Zhang, GY; Chen, TT (通讯作者)，Chongqing Med Univ, Lab Teaching & Management Ctr, Lab Tissue & Cell Biol, Chongqing, Peoples R China.; Zhang, GY; Chen, TT (通讯作者)，Chongqing Med Univ, Lab Teaching & Management Ctr, Pathogen Biol & Immunol Lab, Chongqing, Peoples R China."
来源：PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY
ESI学科分类：PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
WOS号：WOS:000798327500001
JCR分区：Q1
影响因子：3.8
年份：2022
卷号：60
期号：1
开始页：862
结束页：878
文献类型：Article
关键词：COVID-19; Chinese medicine; network pharmacology; antivirus
摘要："Context Coronavirus disease 2019 is a global pandemic. Studies suggest that folic acid has antiviral effects. Molecular docking shown that folic acid can act on SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Phosphoprotein (SARS-CoV-2 N). Objective To identify novel molecular therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2. Materials and methods Traditional Chinese medicine targets and virus-related genes were identified with network pharmacology and big data analysis. Folic acid was singled out by molecular docking, and its potential target SARS-CoV-2 N was identified. Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 N of folic acid was verified at the cellular level. Results In total, 8355 drug targets were potentially involved in the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2. 113 hub genes were screened by further association analysis between targets and virus-related genes. The hub genes related compounds were analysed and folic acid was screened as a potential new drug. Moreover, molecular docking showed folic acid could target on SARS-CoV-2 N which inhibits host RNA interference (RNAi). Therefore, this study was based on RNAi to verify whether folic acid antagonises SARS-CoV-2 N. Cell-based experiments shown that RNAi decreased mCherry expression by 81.7% (p < 0.001). This effect was decreased by 8.0% in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 N, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 N inhibits RNAi. With increasing of folic acid concentration, mCherry expression decreased, indicating that folic acid antagonises the regulatory effect of SARS-CoV-2 N on host RNAi. Discussion and conclusions Folic acid may be an antagonist of SARS-CoV-2 N, but its effect on viruses unclear. In future, the mechanisms of action of folic acid against SARS-CoV-2 N should be studied."
基金机构：Science and Technology Planning Project of Yuzhong District of Chongqing City [2020050]; Chongqing Municipal Education Commission Foundation [KJQN202000403]; General project of Chongqing Natural Science Foundation [cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0095]
基金资助正文："This work was supported by the Science and Technology Planning Project of Yuzhong District of Chongqing City [2020050], the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission Foundation [KJQN202000403], and the General project of Chongqing Natural Science Foundation [cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0095]."
