In vitro screening of plant extracts and phytopharmaceuticals:: Novel approaches for the elucidation of active compounds and their mechanisms

The advantages of cell culture systems for the screening of active compounds of plant extracts and phytopharmaceuticals are discussed and exemplified for hepatocytes and nerve cells. Recent developments and new experimental techniques allow easy access even to complex specific functions of these cells and render it possible to draw conclusions about molecular mechanisms. These in vitro approaches, therefore, may contribute essentially to the reduction of animal use in such studies. Furthermore, they may give full insight into not only the therapeutic potential but also the possible dangers of phytopharmaceuticals and may eventually lead to hints on new therapeutic fields that can be further explored.