Therapeutic use and pharmacological safety of herbal medicines

Abstract

In general, N80% of the world's population relies on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare [1]. The use of complementary herbal medicine provides an alternative option to modern allopathic treatment for treating or preventing numerous diseases including cancer. According to the literature [2], a combination of two or more active biological compounds obtained from medicinal plants has a more profound therapeutic action than a single agent treatment. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the translation of phytochemicals to a potential phytopharmaceuticals. In addition, poor biological uptake coupled with inadequate safety and efficacy data hamper the clinical utility of most herbal medicines. This underscores the need for a thorough pragmatic study on the pharmacological efficacy and safety of herbal medicines including assessing the cardiovascular, neurological, hematological, respiratory, liver and kidney toxicities. Table 1 shows some examples of biologically active compounds derived from different medicinal plants and their toxicity. In the current study, the effective dose combination of three plant bioactive compounds, will be assessed in an in vitro assay against the human alveolar adenocarcinoma (A549) cell line. The biological uptake of the phytochemical combination will be enhanced using a novel Pheroid® drug delivery system. The in vivo anticancer activity of combined phytochemical Pheroid® formulation [3], as well as their impact on the peripheral blood parameters, and on liver and kidney functions will be evaluated for possible toxicity. See Table 1 for therapeutic activity and toxicity of herbal medicines [1]. It is anticipated that Pheroid® formulated phytochemical combinations will exhibit profound cytotoxic activity against the A549 lung cancer cells with minimal impact on the homeostasis of the body. Although herbal medicines are widely used as promising therapeutic agents, it is imperative to determine their efficacy, and assess potential adverse reactions for safe and rational use