East meets West: an herbal tea finds a receptor.
Jaundice, which is caused by accumulation of bilirubin, is extremely common in newborn infants. Phototherapy is an effective treatment, but a drug therapy would also be desirable. A Chinese herbal remedy for jaundice called Yin Zhi Huang is now shown to activate a liver receptor that enhances the clearance of bilirubin (see the related article beginning on page 137). This discovery could lead to improved pharmaceutical treatments for neonatal jaundice.
Lazar
Mitchell A
MA
Departments of Medicine and Genetics, and the Penn Diabetes Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6149, USA. lazar@mail.med.upenn.edu
D001628:Beverages; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007565:Jaundice / Q000628:therapy; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011955:Receptors, Drug / Q000502:physiology*
D011955:Receptors, Drug