A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPD
Abstract The swift transmission rate and unfavorable prognosis associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have prompted the pursuit of more effective therapeutic interventions. Azithromycin (AZM) has garnered significant attention for its distinctive pharmacological...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94801-9 |
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| author | Yining Xie Guangshu Chen Weiling Wu Xueman Wen Meizheng Lai Li Che Jianmin Ran |
| author_facet | Yining Xie Guangshu Chen Weiling Wu Xueman Wen Meizheng Lai Li Che Jianmin Ran |
| author_sort | Yining Xie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The swift transmission rate and unfavorable prognosis associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have prompted the pursuit of more effective therapeutic interventions. Azithromycin (AZM) has garnered significant attention for its distinctive pharmacological mechanisms in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to elucidate the biological rationale for employing AZM in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who are infected with SARS-CoV-2. Genetic data about COVID-19, COPD, and IPF were independently obtained from the GeneCards database. And 40 drug targets about AZM were retrieved from the STITCH database. The analysis revealed that 311 DEGs were common among COPD, IPF, and COVID-19, and we further found eight genes that interacted with AZM targets. We conducted an analysis of hub genes and their corresponding signaling pathways in these patient cohorts. Additionally, we explored the inhibitory effects of AZM on these hub genes. AZM demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect on eight key genes, except for AR and IL-17 A. These findings suggest that AZM may serve as a promising therapeutic agent for patients with COPD and IPF and SARS-CoV-2 infection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eea23942d00a43b793781af5027d2162 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-eea23942d00a43b793781af5027d21622025-08-20T02:17:05ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-94801-9A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPDYining Xie0Guangshu Chen1Weiling Wu2Xueman Wen3Meizheng Lai4Li Che5Jianmin Ran6Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Jinan UniversityDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Jinan UniversityDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Jinan UniversityDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Jinan UniversityDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Jinan UniversityDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityDepartment of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Jinan UniversityAbstract The swift transmission rate and unfavorable prognosis associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have prompted the pursuit of more effective therapeutic interventions. Azithromycin (AZM) has garnered significant attention for its distinctive pharmacological mechanisms in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to elucidate the biological rationale for employing AZM in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who are infected with SARS-CoV-2. Genetic data about COVID-19, COPD, and IPF were independently obtained from the GeneCards database. And 40 drug targets about AZM were retrieved from the STITCH database. The analysis revealed that 311 DEGs were common among COPD, IPF, and COVID-19, and we further found eight genes that interacted with AZM targets. We conducted an analysis of hub genes and their corresponding signaling pathways in these patient cohorts. Additionally, we explored the inhibitory effects of AZM on these hub genes. AZM demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect on eight key genes, except for AR and IL-17 A. These findings suggest that AZM may serve as a promising therapeutic agent for patients with COPD and IPF and SARS-CoV-2 infection.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94801-9COPDIPFSARS-Cov-2AzithromycinBioinformatics |
| spellingShingle | Yining Xie Guangshu Chen Weiling Wu Xueman Wen Meizheng Lai Li Che Jianmin Ran A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPD Scientific Reports COPD IPF SARS-Cov-2 Azithromycin Bioinformatics |
| title | A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPD |
| title_full | A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPD |
| title_fullStr | A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPD |
| title_full_unstemmed | A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPD |
| title_short | A bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with IPF and COPD |
| title_sort | bioinformatics approach combined with experimental validation analyzes the efficacy of azithromycin in treating sars cov 2 infection in patients with ipf and copd |
| topic | COPD IPF SARS-Cov-2 Azithromycin Bioinformatics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94801-9 |
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