Cocktail probe substrates approach is a fast, sensitive and high through put method to determine cytochrome P450 enzymes activity. It has been widely used to screen early drug development, analyze drug metabolism types and confirm the metabolism pathways, study drug-drug interactions, optimize clinical regimen, evaluate post marketing drugs and help liver/kidney pathological studies. This article reviewed characteristics of Cocktail probe substrates, focused on the application to traditional Chinese medicine to CYP450 system as follows: the metabolic pathway research of Chinese herb active ingredients; processing way and compatibility of medical herbs affect CYP450; find out the metabolic characteristic of Chinese patent medicine, study in pharmacy of national minority; do research in liver protective effect of traditional Chinese medicine and evaluate traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in animal models. This article make a summary of existing research results and also make a comparison of cocktail probe substrates approach application to western medicine and Chinese medicine.
Keywords: Cocktail probe substrates approach; cytochrome P450; metabolism; traditional Chinese medicine.
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