Research progress on application of epigenetics and metabolomics in traditional Chinese medicine / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Traditional Chinese medicine has multi-component, multi-target, and multi-path action characteristics and complexity, which makes the task of modernizing traditional Chinese medicine arduous, and many medical researchers have made unremitting efforts to this end. The development of systems biology and omics has ushered in an opportunity for the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and modern science. In particular, the characteristics integrity, dynamics, personalization, and interaction with the environment of epigenetics and metabolomics are consistent with function concept of traditional Chinese medicine. The application of popular DNA methylation, histone modifications, miRNA regulation of epigenetic research, and the application of metabolomics in the substance basis, quality control, pharmacodynamic action mechanism in traditional Chinese medicine research are reviewed in this paper. This paper also puts forward the idea that combining the two and innovative application can clarify the scientific connotation of the whole action mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine and the mechanism of multi-component, multi-channel, and multi-target synergistic action at the micro level, and explore a new research model for the scientific connotation of the core thought of traditional Chinese medicine.