Journal of Proteomics & Bioinformatics
Open Access

Pharmacogenetics: Would it be a reason for the lack of potency and intrinsic toxicity of several natural medicines?

2^nd International Conference on Proteomics & Bioinformatics

July 2-4, 2012 Embassy Suites Las Vegas, USA

Tibebe Z. Woldemariam, Nancy Wageih Hanna and David Pearson

Posters: J Proteomics Bioinform

Abstract :

It is well recognized that natural products have been a source of leads for the development of many of the most valuable drugs currently available for the treatment of a variety of human diseases. Conceivably, about 75% of plant-derived drugs in clinical use today came to the awareness of pharmaceutical companies because of their vast utilization in self-care practices or traditional medicines. Despite these advantages and the past successes, many large pharmaceutical companies have diminished the use of natural products in drug discovery screening. This has been because of the apparent disadvantages of natural products including largescale procurement of sufficient source material for bulk production, the lack of potency and intrinsic toxicity of many natural products. Nevertheless, very little effort has been made to looking at the influence of pharmacogenetics in the efficacy and toxicity of natural medicines. For natural products that are in the early stages of drug development, more research should be conducted to determine if gene variants are responsible for the differences in effects and toxicity profiles between patients. If genetic variants are responsible for the different responses, pharmacogenomic tests may be used to determine who will actually benefit from the drug. In addition, polymorphisms in the genes for drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters may influence the efficacy of natural medicines mediated through these pathways. The recent availability of genomic data and our increased understanding of the effects of genetic variations allow a thorough evaluation of the contribution of genetic variation to efficacy or toxicity of compounds derived from natural sources2. The complexity of this task requires the interaction of scientists from diverse fields. It is obvious that optimizing the assessment of natural products as drug leads requires multidisciplinary and international collaboration.