Traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of COVID-19 based on literature mining of targeting cytokine storm

The primary clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are fever, fatigue and dry cough. Several clinical studies reported that some patients with low or medium fever, or even without obvious symptom, rapidly progressed to severe or critical illness, including severe acute respiratory syndrome, septic shock, coagulation disorders and intractable metabolic acidosis. These patients were usually associated with significant elevated serum levels of a profile of cytokines, which is similar to SARS-2003 and MERS-2015, indicating the occurrence of cytokine storm. In the present review, we summarized previous advances in the treatment of severe cases of SARS by using traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), especially those TCM targeting cytokine storm, based on literature mining. By using data mining and network pharmacology, we also investigated underlying mechanisms and biological pathways involved in the inhibitory effects of TCM against cytokine storm. This review not only provides novel insights in the precise application of TCM, appropriate integrative use of TCM in combination with western medicine, but also contributes to the discovery of novel drugs or new therapeutic strategies targeting cytokine storm to suppress progression of COVID-19 and to improve clinical prognosis and outcomes.