Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches
The influenza virus is a constantly evolving pathogen that challenges medical and public health systems. Traditionally, curcumin has been used to treat airway inflammatory diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. To elucidate common targets of curcumin and influenza infection and underlying mecha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Pharmaceuticals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/9/880 |
| _version_ | 1797517698018574336 |
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| author | Minjee Kim Hanul Choi Sumin Kim Lin Woo Kang Young Bong Kim |
| author_facet | Minjee Kim Hanul Choi Sumin Kim Lin Woo Kang Young Bong Kim |
| author_sort | Minjee Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The influenza virus is a constantly evolving pathogen that challenges medical and public health systems. Traditionally, curcumin has been used to treat airway inflammatory diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. To elucidate common targets of curcumin and influenza infection and underlying mechanisms, we employed network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches and confirmed results using in vitro experiments. Biological targets of curcumin and influenza were collected, and potential targets were identified by constructing compound–disease target (C-D) and protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks. The ligand–target interaction was determined using the molecular docking method, and in vitro antiviral experiments and target confirmation were conducted to evaluate curcumin’s effects on influenza. Our network and pathway analyses implicated the four targets of AKT1, RELA, MAPK1, and TP53 that could be involved in the inhibitory effects of curcumin on influenza. The binding energy calculations of each ligand–target interaction in the molecular docking showed that curcumin bound to AKT1 with the highest affinity among the four targets. In vitro experiments, in which influenza virus-infected MDCK cells were pre-, co-, or post-treated with curcumin, confirmed curcumin’s prophylactic and therapeutic effects. Influenza virus induction increased the level of mRNA expression of AKT in MDCK cells, and the level was attenuated by curcumin treatment. Collectively, our findings identified potential targets of curcumin against influenza and suggest curcumin as a potential therapy for influenza infection. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:19:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ef856dc2acb84fca85bb4a4c6bcb2916 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8247 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:19:49Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceuticals |
| spelling | doaj.art-ef856dc2acb84fca85bb4a4c6bcb29162023-11-22T14:44:49ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472021-08-0114988010.3390/ph14090880Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro ApproachesMinjee Kim0Hanul Choi1Sumin Kim2Lin Woo Kang3Young Bong Kim4Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, KoreaDepartment of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, KoreaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, KoreaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, KoreaDepartment of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, KoreaThe influenza virus is a constantly evolving pathogen that challenges medical and public health systems. Traditionally, curcumin has been used to treat airway inflammatory diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. To elucidate common targets of curcumin and influenza infection and underlying mechanisms, we employed network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches and confirmed results using in vitro experiments. Biological targets of curcumin and influenza were collected, and potential targets were identified by constructing compound–disease target (C-D) and protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks. The ligand–target interaction was determined using the molecular docking method, and in vitro antiviral experiments and target confirmation were conducted to evaluate curcumin’s effects on influenza. Our network and pathway analyses implicated the four targets of AKT1, RELA, MAPK1, and TP53 that could be involved in the inhibitory effects of curcumin on influenza. The binding energy calculations of each ligand–target interaction in the molecular docking showed that curcumin bound to AKT1 with the highest affinity among the four targets. In vitro experiments, in which influenza virus-infected MDCK cells were pre-, co-, or post-treated with curcumin, confirmed curcumin’s prophylactic and therapeutic effects. Influenza virus induction increased the level of mRNA expression of AKT in MDCK cells, and the level was attenuated by curcumin treatment. Collectively, our findings identified potential targets of curcumin against influenza and suggest curcumin as a potential therapy for influenza infection.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/9/880curcumininfluenzainflammationnetwork pharmacologymolecular dockingsystems biology |
| spellingShingle | Minjee Kim Hanul Choi Sumin Kim Lin Woo Kang Young Bong Kim Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches Pharmaceuticals curcumin influenza inflammation network pharmacology molecular docking systems biology |
| title | Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches |
| title_full | Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches |
| title_fullStr | Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches |
| title_full_unstemmed | Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches |
| title_short | Elucidating the Effects of Curcumin against Influenza Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches |
| title_sort | elucidating the effects of curcumin against influenza using in silico and in vitro approaches |
| topic | curcumin influenza inflammation network pharmacology molecular docking systems biology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/9/880 |
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