Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar Series

Dioscorea bulbifera L. Hepatotoxicity, Protein Adduction, and Mechanism-Based Therapy

(Drug ACTION Specific Seminar)

• Jiang Zheng, PhD
• Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
  Guizhou Medical University

The uniqueness and effectiveness of herbal medicines to cure various diseases are evident in their long history of practice. However, their adverse effects remain challenging problems to be solved for safer clinical applications. Dioscorea bulbifera L. (DBL) is a common herbal medicine widely used in China for the treatments of psoriasis, breast lumps, goiters, and lung abscesses. Unfortunately, liver damage caused by using this herb has limited its safe use; numerous hepatotoxicity cases, including death cases, have been documented. Our study aimed to overcome the toxic effect of DBL while retaining its beneficial activities by 1) identifying the component of DBL essential for the observed liver injury; 2) clarifying biochemical mechanisms of toxic action; and 3) establishing effective approaches to prevent and intervene the liver injury induced by DBL. The presentation will cover the progresses achieved in these three aspects.

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