Optimization of potential targets for antidepressant Chinese medicines: AI and multi-omics methods

The complexity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with its numerous components, targets, and varying efficacy, presents challenges for current evaluation methods. Most existing methods rely on single, qualitative indicators, which provide limited insight into the overall quality. These methods fail to fully capture the intrinsic quality, efficacy, and safety of Chinese medicine, highlighting the need for more advanced biological evaluation techniques. Target-based drug discovery has become the primary approach in pharmaceutical research and development, where drug targets play a crucial role in guiding the entire process. As our understanding deepens, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with multi-omics technologies has opened new possibilities for enhancing treatment precision. AI's efficiency in identifying drug targets marks a significant leap forward in drug discovery, facilitating the modernization of the drug development process. Meanwhile, omics technologies offer distinct advantages, such as comprehensive controllability, strong correlations with clinical efficacy and safety, and a holistic view of the overall quality of Chinese medicine. These technologies provide an effective and rational approach for evaluating the quality of Chinese medicine and are instrumental in developing quality control systems for TCM. Consequently, combining AI with multi-omics methods is poised to become a key direction for future research into the discovery of targets for antidepressant Chinese medicine.