Pharmacogenomic Mapping of Bioactive Compounds in Ethnomedicinal Plants - A Review

Abstract

Ethnomedicinal plants are a rich source of structurally diverse bioactive compounds that interact with human drug-metabolizing enzymes, transporters, receptors and signaling networks. Interindividual variation in response to these botanicals is driven partly by human genetic polymorphisms (pharmacogenomics), leading to variable efficacy and risk of herb–drug interactions. Pharmacogenomic mapping combines high-resolution phytochemical profiling, in-vitro functional assays, in-silico prediction and multi-omics integration with population genetic data to identify compounds are most likely to engage clinically relevant human targets and genotypes are at altered risk. Ethnomedicinal plants contain diverse bioactive compounds that show variable therapeutic responses across populations. With advances in genomics, metabolomics, and computational biology, pharmacogenomic mapping offers new approaches to understand how genetic differences influence plant-drug efficacy, metabolism, and toxicity. This review discusses the integration of metabolomics, biological assays, in silico network pharmacology, multi-omics approaches, and population pharmacogenomics in the discovery and validation of plant-derived therapeutics. Evidence shows that phytochemical responses strongly depend on polymorphisms in genes regulating drug metabolism (CYP450), transporters (ABCB1, SLCO1B1),and conjugating enzymes (UGTs).Population-specific pharmacogenomic variations demonstrate that ethnomedicine can complement precision medicine when mapped systematically. This review emphasizes the need to create genomic–phytochemical databases to support personalized herbal therapy and safer drug development.