Systems Toxicology: A Valuable Tool for Early Prediction and Mechanistic Assessment of Liver Toxicity of Food‐Related Products

Abstract

The review of literature demonstrates that systems toxicology is a valuable tool for early prediction and mechanistic assessment of liver toxicity. It will provide accurate molecular information for toxicity hazard and risk assessment in relatively short period of time. This technology will find very useful applications in food safety. It is an excellent tool for quick screening of hepatotoxic potential of food-related products that occur naturally or that are added deliberately to the foods and dietary supplements. The published reports show the value of omics technologies in combination with classical histopathology and biochemical assays providing a powerful tool for accurate assessment of “predictive” and “mechanistic” hepatotoxicity. The systems toxicology in vitro offers a powerful cost-effective tool for faster high-throughput toxicity testing. It can be effectively used for high-throughput screening of food-related products for potential hepatotoxicity. Keywords: hepatotoxicity; in vitro toxicity; systems toxicology; risk assessment; omics technology