Developing a Screening Strategy to Identify Hepatotoxicity and Drug Interaction Potential of Botanicals

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Pharmacology
• Natural Products

Background:

• Botanical supplements are widely used but lack rigorous safety testing, posing risks.
• Assessing botanical safety is challenging due to their complex composition.
• Botanical-induced liver injury has significantly increased, highlighting an urgent need for better safety evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a new approach for assessing the hepatotoxicity of botanical supplements.
• To develop a screening strategy using New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for rapid and cost-effective safety evaluations.
• To create a botanical safety toolkit for researchers to understand and prioritize testing for hepatotoxic botanicals.

Main Methods:

• The Hepatotoxicity Working Group's strategy for botanical safety assessment is described.
• Specific assays were selected based on their ability to evaluate hepatotoxicity.
• Case studies using selected botanicals were employed to validate the chosen NAMs.

Main Results:

• The study outlines a strategy incorporating NAMs for botanical hepatotoxicity screening.
• Selected NAMs were evaluated for their effectiveness in identifying potential liver injury.
• The research provides a foundation for a comprehensive botanical safety toolkit.

Conclusions:

• New Approach Methodologies offer a promising solution for evaluating botanical supplement safety.
• The developed strategy and assays can help identify hepatotoxic botanicals more efficiently.
• This work will enhance the understanding of botanical-induced liver injury and improve risk assessment.