Challenges in the investigation of combinatory modes of action of nutrients and pharmaceuticals

Recent publication evidenced about rationality and efficacy of combinatory therapy of antibiotic resistance, diabetes, obesity, cancer, viral infections, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. The combination of nutrients and pharmaceuticals has a good chance of contributing to a modern strategy of multi-target drug discovery. Different approaches and methods for the investigation of combinatory modes of action can be roughly classified into: in vitro, in vivo, in silico and in clinic. There is no true "gold standard" method that can be used uniformly to detect and quantify combinatory modes of action in pharmacology. Different methods of testing for synergism can sometimes produce different conclusions for the same combination. Great efforts in the translation of in vitro and in vivo results into clinical benefits of combinatory modes of action of nutrients and pharmaceuticals are compulsory.