Network Analysis of Herbs Recommended for the Treatment of COVID-19

Abstract

Lin Ang,1,2 Hye Won Lee,3 Anna Kim,4 Jun-Yong Choi,5 Myeong Soo Lee1,2 1Clinical Medicine Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Korea; 2Korean Convergence Medicine, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea; 3Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Korea; 4Future Medicine Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Korea; 5Pulmonology Division, School of Korean Medicine and Korean Medicine Hospital of Pusan National University, Yangsan, KoreaCorrespondence: Myeong Soo LeeClinical Medicine Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34054, KoreaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [email protected] Won LeeHerbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34054, KoreaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [email protected]: In this study, we aimed to identify the pattern and combination of herbs used in the formulae recommended for treating different stages of COVID-19 using a network analysis approach.Methods: The herbal formulae recommended by official guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19 are included in the present analysis. To describe the tendency of herbs to form a “herb pair”, we computed the mutual information (MI) value and distance-based mutual information model (DMIM) score. We also performed modularity, degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality analysis. Network analyses were performed and visualized for each disease stage.Results: A total of 142 herbal formulae comprising 416 herbs were analyzed. All possible herbal pairs were examined, and the top frequently used herbal pairs were identified for each disease stage. The herb Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma is only identified in one herb pair, even though this herb is identified as one of the herbs with high frequency of use for every disease stage. This suggests that the DMIM score could be used to identify the optimal combination rule of herbal formulae by achieving a balance among the herbs’ frequency and relative distance in herbal formulae.Conclusion: Our results presented the prescription patterns and herbal combinations of the herbal formulae recommended for the treatment of COVID-19. This study may provide new insights and ideas for clinical research in the future.Keywords: coronavirus 19, disease stage, herbs pairing, prescription pattern, network graph

Keywords

• coronavirus 19
• disease stage
• herbs pairing
• prescription pattern
• network graph