Metabolomic insights into the mode of action of natural products in the treatment of liver disease.

Metabolomic insights into the mode of action of natural products in the treatment of liver disease. Biochem Pharmacol. 2020 Jul 22;:114171 Authors: Beyoğlu D, Idle JR Abstract The human population is burdened by morbidity and mortality from liver diseases that largely arise due to hepatitis virus infection, alcohol abuse, obesity, and diabetes. Despite 2 million global deaths per annum from liver disease, the number of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of these disorders is sparse. Eastern medicine embodies a millennia long tradition in the use of natural product remedies for liver disease, which has attracted the interest of western medical practitioners and patients alike. Questions remain regarding the safety, efficacy, and quality of such natural products in a western medical context. Of particular concern is whether or not the mechanism of action of the product is known and, if the remedy has multiple natural constituents, how these interact at a biochemical, physiological, and clinical level. In this Commentary, we have examined the potential of metabolomics to help answer these queries, illustrated by investigations of yin chen hao tang, silymarin, and xiaozhang tie. In all cases, unique understandings of the mechanism of action of these natural products was obtained through metabolomic investigations in animal models, cell culture systems, and in clinical studies. Such mechanisti...
Source: Biochemical Pharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Biochem Pharmacol Source Type: research