Toxicological advances of traditional medicine in 2021

Abstract

In 2021, there have been many studies on the toxicological evaluation of traditional medicine, as well as natural active ingredients. Among them, the toxicity evaluation of evodiamine, Gardenia Jasminoides J. Ellis, and anthraquinone in the liver, kidneys, heart, and other organs has become a popular topic. Their toxic mechanisms include oxidative stress, inflammatory response, apoptosis, mitochondrial damage, and disorders of lipid and amino acid metabolism. In response to the drawbacks of time-consuming, expensive, and ethical restrictions of animal models, a variety of techniques, such as 3D organoid models, metabolomics, toxicokinetics, bioprinting methods, and network toxicology methods, have been gradually employed in the toxicity evaluation of traditional medicine. This review summarizes the drug toxicity and safety assessment of traditional medicine in 2021. In the future, attention should be paid to preventing traditional medicine toxicity.