Abstract: Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of Yiye anti-influenza capsules (YYKLG) against pneumonia in mice infected with human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E). Methods A mouse model of pneumonia was established via intranasal infection with HCoV-229E. The mice were randomly divided into seven groups, including high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose YYKLG groups (0.70 , 0.35 and 0.18 g·kg^-1·d^-1, respectively). The effects of YYKLG at three doses on the lung index, viral load, pulmonary bronchioles and pathological changes of lung tissues in mice were assessed. Results The lung index of mice in the high and medium dose groups of YYKLG decreased significantly, so did the viral load of lung tissues in the three dose groups. Compared with the model control group, YYKLG reduced the pathological damage to lung bronchioles and lung tissues to varied extents, and the degree of pathological damage in the high and middle dose groups was significantly different from that of the model control group. Conclusion YYKLG can improve the symptoms of pneumonia in model mice infected with the HCoV-229E virus. This study is expected to provide a reference for the treatment of respiratory diseases with traditional Chinese medicine.

Key words: Yiye Anti-Influenza Capsule, HCoV-229E, Lung Index, Lung Index Inhibition Rate, Viral Load, Pathological Changes, Mice