Pharmacological Activities of Phytomedicines: A Challenge Horizon for Rational Knowledge

Javier Rodríguez Villanueva,Jorge Martín Esteban,Laura Rodríguez Villanueva

doi:10.3390/challe9010015

Javier Rodríguez Villanueva, Jorge Martín Esteban + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/challe9010015

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Journal: Challenges	Publication Date: Mar 23, 2018
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Alcalá

Abstract

Herbal drugs have been widely used throughout the course of history. Traditional knowledge based on religious beliefs and/or experience has been transmitted orally between generations. First attempts to provide scientific evidence came in the 19th century when potent compounds were first isolated. Since then, modern pharmacology theory has been assumed by phytotherapy. Scientists have tried to elucidate the molecular mechanism of each compound and, for a pharmacological indication, propose an effective and secure dose. Stepwise, clinical trials confirm the benefits of herbal drug use in therapeutics, especially for chronic diseases. However, herbal drugs exert pleiotropic effects, and there is still a need for a complete, rational, and widely accepted theory that can explain phytotherapy efficacy. The “-omics” might help with this matter. Studies of modification in the gene expression profile, the metabolome, and the physiopathological state after the administration of a herbal extract could provide relevant information that verifies herbal therapies.

Highlights

Herbal medicine has always been an important source of medicine (Figure 1)
The results demonstrated that each of the substances and extracts, in spite of the fact that all exert anti-inflammatory activity, has a specific gene expression profile, as well as that the willow bark extract showed a different gene expression profile depending on the dose administered
First, which pharmacological and therapeutic contributions each distinct active component of an extract preparation provides and, secondly, which chemical substances or substance groups from the extracts are responsible for which specific pharmacological effects [22] must be elucidated

Summary

Introduction

Herbal medicine has always been an important source of medicine (Figure 1). It has been successfully applied in clinics for thousands of years all around the world. An emphasis was placed on learning about the principal compound responsible for herbs’ therapeutic effects In this process, the plant extracts were first separated into many fractions. Examples of the first pure chemical entities isolated from herbs for medicinal use include morphine, an analgesic compound from opium poppy (Papaver somniferum, Papaveraceae), quinine, used for leg cramps at night, from cinchona bark (Cinchona succirubra, Rubiaceae), and salicin, an antipyretic from willow bark (Salix spp., Salicaceae) [10] They were assumed by modern medicine in the form of single active chemical ingredients and verified in their medical system and pharmacological workflow pattern in terms of their efficacy, security, and stability, among others. A new approach based on the “-omics” could prove extremely useful

The “Modern Medicine Approach” Was Not Enough

Conclusions