Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 and Rehabilitation of Kidney, Liver and Cardiovascular Diseases with Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.

Leng NIE, Youdong LIANG, Xinwei YANG, Xiaohao HUANG, Shumei WANG, Jianfei CHEN, Ni ZENG

1. Suzhou Primreg Gene Company, Suzhou 215000, China; 2. Beijing Century Healthcare Co., Ltd., Beijing 100085, China; 3. Chongqing Medical University, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400016, China; 4. Tianjin the Fifth Centre Hospital, Tianjin 300450, China; 5. Shenzhen Baiyue Gene Company, Shenzhen 518100, China

Abstract The COVID-19 epidemic is raging, and the virus damages the lung, kidney, liver, and cardiovascular system. Medicine for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 requires three properties: being able to efficiently inhibit COVID-19 from infecting cells; being able to quickly repair lung damage; non-toxic. Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb. is found to have the three properties mentioned above and can be used for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. In terms of rehabilitation of lung, kidney, liver, and cardiovascular diseases, K. brevifolia Rottb. shows remarkable efficacy when combined with other medicinal materials. This is instructive and useful for the rehabilitation of lung, liver, kidney, and cardiovascular damage caused by COVID-19.

Key words COVID-19, Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb., Pneumonia, Rehabilitation, Coroless

1 Introduction

As of January 31, 2021, more than 100 million people had been infected with 2019-nCoV globally and more than 2 million people had died. 2019-nCoV has damages to the lung, kidney, liver, and cardiovascular system[1]. There is an urgent need for drugs for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of COVID-19. It is believed that medicine for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 requires three properties: being able to efficiently inhibit 2019-nCoV from infecting cells; being able to quickly repair lung damage; non-toxic. In the treasure house of traditional Chinese medicine,KyllingabrevifoliaRottb. is found to have the three properties mentioned above and can be used for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The active ingredients ofK.brevifoliaRottb. have been isolated, contributing Chinese wisdom to global COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

2 Traditional medicinal value of K. brevifolia Rottb.

K.brevifoliaRottb. (Cyperaceae:Kyllinga) is used as medicine with its whole plant or root, also known as Jinniuzi (FloraofGuangdong), Jinniucao (FujianFolkHerbalMedicine), Yemocao (FloraofMedicinalPlantsinGuangxi), Hanqicao (CollectionofCommonFolkMedicine), Shizicao (JiangxiFolkHerbalMedicine), Jiangchongcao, Lushuicao, Shuiniucao, Sanbutiao (GuizhouFolkMedicine), Sanhancao, Jiangyacao, Hanjincao (FloraofTraditionalChineseMedicineinSichuan), Shuixiangfu, Yanhanzhu (ChongqingHerbalMedicine), Fahancao (IllustratedBookofMedicinalPlantsinChina), Shanwugong, Shuiwumei, Wutouxiangfu, Longtuzhu (QuanzhouMateriaMedica). It is mainly produced in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hubei, Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, on hillsides, streams, wastelands, roadside grasses, and beaches by the sea. Modern research shows that the whole plant ofK.brevifoliaRottb. contains flavonoids such as vitexin[2], volatile oils[3-4]and phenolic acid components[5-6]. According to the record ofDictionaryofChineseMedicine,K.brevifoliaRottb. is pungent, slightly bitter, sweet, and neutral in nature. It has functions of dispelling wind, clearing away heat, removing blood stasis, detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and relieving pain. The dosage is 15-30 g for decoction and 30-60 g for fresh products[7]. Chinese medicine believes thatK.brevifoliaRottb. has the ability to dispel wind, clear away heat, remove dampness, resolve phlegm, relieve cough, remove blood stasis, and diminish swelling, and is mainly used to treat cold, chill and fever headache, arthralgia, myalgia, cough, malaria, jaundice, dysentery, sore swelling, bruises,etc[8].

3 Prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of COVID-19

After COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, Hubei, Dr. Nie Leng has been looking for prevention medicine to help people in his hometown. In theHandbookofBarefootDoctorscompiled by Jiangxi Medical University in 1969, it is recorded thatK.brevifoliaRottb. can be used to treat wind-cold after decocted or drank as tea at a dosage of 7-10 g[9]. According to the record ofRecordsofPickingHerbsinLingnan[10-11],K.brevifoliaRottb. is every effective in treating epidemic fever. Fresh plant ofK.brevifoliaRottb. is pungent and can disperse cold and evil. Its roots are horizontal with knots and fibrils and can remove stasis, promote the circulation of qi, and dredge collaterals. Coincidentally, the cluster-shaped seed ball of the herb is similar to 2019-nCoV. It is a natural herb, and it is food for cattle, sheep and fish, without side or toxic effects.

In the COVID-19 pseudovirus cell infection test, it was found that the inhibition rate ofK.brevifoliaRottb. on the COVID-19 pseudovirus cell infection was as high as 96.04%. After 81-fold dilution, the inhibition rate was still over 50%[12]. In terms of molecular mechanism, the water extract ofK.brevifoliaRottb. shows competitive inhibition effect on ACE2 and RBD protein binding. ACE2 is the cell surface receptor for COVID-19 virus, and RBD is the binding region of 2019-nCoV S protein receptor. ELISA experiment showed that the inhibition rate reached 69%[12]. The result of high-concentration 2019-nCoV experiment showed thatK.brevifoliaRottb. effectively inhibited cell death caused by virus, withIC50of 3.76 mg/mL[12], which is equivalent to the actual clinical concentration.

Nie Leng usedK.brevifoliaRottb. and its compound for COVID-19 prevention. The national first-line medical aid staff, kidney dialysis close-coupled elderly, and 90-year-old close-coupled elderly after tumor surgery, took 10 g ofK.brevifoliaRottb. decoction daily to prevent the infection of 2019-nCoV. As a result, neither incidence nor adverse reactions have ever been reported. Nie Leng and Yang Xinwei have treated many cases of suspected and discharged patients usingK.brevifoliaRottb. and compound prescription, and the pulmonary rehabilitation effect for severe patients in Wuhan is remarkable.

In short,K.brevifoliaRottb. effectively inhibits the infection of cells with 2019-nCoV, and repairs the lung damage caused by the virus. It is non-toxic, and can be used in all stages of COVID-19 prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. What’s more, Nie Leng’s team has isolated the active ingredient fromK.brevifoliaRottb., named CorolessTM, which efficiently inhibits the virus from infecting cells and has obvious healing effect on inflammatory damage. Related research is in progress.

4 Application in kidney injury rehabilitation

K.brevifoliaRottb. is often used to treat urinary diseases such as chronic nephritis, chyluria and hematochyluria. The Chinese patent Shiwugong granules is a single-herb preparation ofK.brevifoliaRottb., with main active ingredient of flavonoids[13]. It has the effect of clearing dampness and heat, and is used for the treatment of chyluria and hematochyluria. Yang Li[14]used prescription containingK.brevifoliaRottb. (30-60 g for fresh product and 15-30 g for dry product) to treat chyluria based on TCM syndrome. Based on syndrome differentiation and treatment, Jin Shi[15]used a large dose (30-40 g) ofK.brevifoliaRottb. to treat chyluria and obtained a remarkable effect. Huang Zehongetal.[16]randomly and evenly divided 150 patients with diabetic nephropathy into a control group and a treatment group. The patients in the control group were treated with conventional method, and those in the treatment group were treated with conventional method combined with Kangshen granules (Herba Kyllinga, Herba Glechomae, Caulis Lonicerae, Folium Pyrrosiae, Rhizoma Imperatae). The overall effective rate of the treatment group was 94.67%, and that of the control group was 82.67%, with a significant difference between the two (P<0.05). Prescriptions containingK.brevifoliaRottb. have a significant effect on improving renal function indicators, reducing the positive rate of urine glucose and improving the treatment effect in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. Chen Jiande[17]divided 43 patients with renal insufficiency into an observation group (22 cases) and a control group (21 cases). Both the two groups were given general conventional treatment. On the basis, the observation group was treated with Kangshen granules (composition as above), 12 g per bag, three times a day, for 12 weeks. The results showed that the overall effective rate of the observation group was 86.36%, and that of the control group was 47.62%; and the curative effect and renal function improvement of the observation group were significantly better than those of the control group, suggesting that Kangshen granules are safe and effective in treating renal insufficiency.

5 Application in liver injury rehabilitation

K.brevifoliaRottb. is often used to treat digestive diseases such as hepatitis. Lan Richun[18]introducedK.brevifoliaRottb. rock sugar soup in the diet therapy of Zhuang medicine. It is prepared by stewingK.brevifoliaRottb. (30 g) and rock sugar (30 g) for 1 h, and mainly used for treating red-white dysentery. Huang Xiuzhenetal.[19]investigated the types of wild Chinese herbal medicines that can be used to treat liver diseases in Quanzhou, Fujian, and found thatK.brevifoliaRottb. can be used for treating various types of hepatitis, including jaundice hepatitis, infectious hepatitis,etc., as well as liver cirrhosis, ascites, liver cancer and other diseases. According to the record ofFujianFolkHerbalMedicine, decoction of fresh plant ofK.brevifoliaRottb. (50-100 g) can be used to treat jaundice-type infectious hepatitis. Chen Chunzhang[20]treated 58 cases of acute hepatitis with Qinggan decoction andK.brevifoliaRottb. The composition of the recipe was as follows: Herba Scutellariae Barbatae 40 g, Herba Artemisiae Capillariae 30 g, Herba Ardisiae Japonica 20 g, Herba Salviae Chinensis 20 g, Herba Kyllinga 20 g, Herba Oldenlandia Diffusa 20 g, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae 15 g, Fructus Aurantii 15 g, Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract 15 g, Wrinkled Gianthyssop Herb 15 g, chicken’s gizzard membrane 10 g and Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae 10 g. All cases were cured. The shortest course of treatment was 20 d and the longest was 60 d. The symptoms all disappeared, and the renal function indicators all returned to normal. Among them, 28 HBsAg positive cases turned negative, 30 d for 22 cases and 60 d for 6 cases.

6 Application in cardiovascular disease rehabilitation

K.brevifoliaRottb. has the functions of protecting vascular endothelial cells, fighting oxidation, and lowering blood pressure. According to the record ofDrugsofNanningCity,K.brevifoliaRottb. can remove blood stasis and activate the collaterals. Modern research has shown thatK.brevifoliaRottb. contains flavonoids, phenolic compounds, organic acids, volatile oil and other ingredients[21], among which, flavonoids can treat cardiovascular diseases and fight oxidation[22-23]. Shi Leietal.[24]used six traditional Chinese medicines including leech, Radix Polygoni Multiflori, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Radix et Rhizoma Notoginseng, Radix Paeoniae Rubra and Herba Kyllinga to prevent and treat rabbit iliac artery restenosis after balloon dilation. The results show that traditional Chinese medicine can significantly increase the activity of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduce the level of homocysteine (Hcy), and reduce the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rabbit serum, and reduce oxidative stress and anti-lipid peroxidation, thereby protecting the function of vascular endothelial cells, which may be one of the mechanisms for reducing restenosis. Long[25]conducted an animal experiment on renal hypertension with 26 Chinese herbal medicines. The results show thatK.brevifoliaRottb. may have the effect of lowering blood pressure. Yang Yanjunetal.[26]studied the scavenging ability ofK.brevifoliaRottb. extract for DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazine), ABTS (2, 2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) and superoxide anion free radicals, using Vitc as a control. The results show that the antioxidant capacity of total polyphenols ofK.brevifoliaRottb. is close to that of Vitc.

7 Prospects

K.brevifoliaRottb. is distributed in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania. Countries can use locally produced medicinal materials for clinical verification to obtain statistically significant clinical data and share with the world. Efficacy of medicinal materials of different origins is different. The active ingredient ofK.brevifoliaRottb., named CorolessTM, can be shared for the world. Preliminary studies on the mechanism of 2019-nCoV infection of cells have been conducted, and follow-up experiments still need to be completed in high-level biosafety laboratories, and so, we hope to cooperate with colleagues around the world, in order to provide safe and effective drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and contribute Chinese wisdom.