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

Developing a Screening Strategy to Identify Hepatotoxicity and Drug Interaction Potential of Botanicals. Roe et al., 2024. Journal of Dietary Supplements. https://doi.org/10.1080/19390211.2024.2417679

 

The HESI Botanical Safety Consortium’s Hepatotoxicity Working Group has developed a screening strategy to identify hepatotoxicity and drug interaction risks associated with botanicals. Botanical products are complex mixtures that are difficult to test in traditional toxicology mammalian models due to their inherent variability. The liver, being a central site for metabolism, is particularly vulnerable to potential toxicity and interactions with other drugs.

Key takeaways from this publication include:

  1. New Approach Methodologies (NAMs): Exploration of NAMs that are being proposed (in vitro and in silico models) to screen hepatotoxicity and botanical-drug interactions effectively.
  2. Broad Botanical Testing: Testing a variety of botanicals through case studies, with assays evaluating cellular and molecular markers related to liver health.
  3. Development of a Safety Toolkit: Creation of a toolkit to assist researchers in screening botanicals, informing further studies, and potentially reducing animal testing.

This publication is valuable for toxicologists, regulatory bodies, and botanical product researchers interested in advancing safety assessment frameworks for botanical supplements.

Figure 1. Botanical dietary supplements can induce liver injury in multiple ways, including hepatocyte injury via impairment of membrane integrity, induction of mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death. Figure created with BioRender.
Figure 1. Botanical dietary supplements can induce liver injury in multiple ways, including hepatocyte injury via impairment of membrane integrity, induction of mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell death. Figure created with BioRender.