Nuclear receptors in herb–drug interactions

Abstract

Widespread usage of herbs as supplements or medicines raises the potential of herb-drug interactions (HDIs). Basically, HDIs occur by pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic pathways. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a class of transcription factors whose role in drug interactions has been defined. A large number of herbs activate NRs, resulting in HDIs. NR-mediated HDIs are similar to drug-drug interactions, but are more complicated because of the presence of multiple compounds in herbs. Dosage and therapeutic sequence as well as various other factors, including the patient’s gender, age, and genetic makeup, may affect outcomes of NR-mediated HDIs.

Keywords::

• Nuclear receptors
• herb–drug interactions
• pharmacokinetics
• pharmacodynamics

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dr. Martha Montello for editing the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.