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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Potential of ‘Omics’ Technologies for Implementation in Research on Phytotherapeutical Toxicology

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Abstract High toxicity is the most common reason why new agents drop out of drug development in the pharmaceutical industry. There is hope that toxicogenomics facilitates the early detection of toxic effects and their molecular mechanisms of action during preclinical studies to remove potentially toxic substances from the development. Herbal remedies consist of mixtures of different herbs, which represent a considerable source of heterogeneity and toxicity. They may be caused by botanical misidentification, contamination with pesticides, heavy metals, organic solvents, microbials and radioactivity. Intentional faked herbal products may contain chemical drugs or hormones. Approaches to apply ‘omics’-based technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to medicinal plant research may help to detect toxicity related to phytotherapy. Toxic reactions in the liver are common to many natural xenobiotic compounds, since orally ingested herbal drugs are first metabolized in the liver by phase I and II enzymes and are then excreted by phase III transporters. Current toxicogenomics approaches need to be adapted to herbal toxicology research in terms of appropriate in vitro and in vivo test models, experimental reproducibility, the development of predictive models, suitable software tools for data analysis and databases, the identification and validation of biomarkers, as well as quantitative structure–activity relationship modelling. Although toxicogenomics of medicinal plants and herbal products is still in its infancy, omics technologies represent attractive methods for the prediction of desirable and undesirable effects of phytotherapy.