International Journal of Molecular Medical Science, 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 69-79 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/ijmms 73 5.2 Application in the treatment of chronic diseases These homologous substances are also often used in the intervention of chronic diseases. For example, the formula combining functional extracts with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a remarkable effect in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Such combinations can protect the nerves and improve cognition by inhibiting pathological changes such as Aβ toxicity and excessive phosphorylation of Tau protein. Their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic capabilities make them superior to single-target drugs (Guo et al., 2022). In addition, the active ingredients isolated from these substances also perform outstandingly in regulating blood sugar. They are involved in the control of diabetes mellitus (DM) through pathways such as insulin-like effects, repair of pancreatic damage and regulation of glucose metabolism (Gong et al., 2020). 5.3 Development of immune regulatory function Enhancing the immune function is an important application direction of food and medicine homologous substances. Many plant-based raw materials contain special active ingredients and have the function of regulating immune balance. Studies have shown that some homologous substances can improve immune function by inhibiting inflammatory responses (Lu et al., 2021). The COX-2/mPGES-1 inhibitory components screened from the molecular database by using the intelligent analysis model provide clues for the development of new immunomodulators (Tian et al., 2023). 5.4 Diversified health applications Food and medicine homologous substances demonstrate multiple values in the field of health management. In addition to the basic health care functions, its active components have positive effects on metabolic regulation, organ protection, etc. (Zeng et al., 2022). By means of systematic pharmacological methods and molecular simulation techniques, researchers can analyze the action pathways of components and promote their application in nutritional supplements (Jiao et al., 2020). The combination of traditional experience and modern technology has opened up new avenues for the development of new health products (Sun et al., 2023). 6 Clinical Application Challenges and Opportunities 6.1 Progress in clinical research Important breakthroughs have been made in the clinical research of food and medicine homologous substances, especially in the systematic identification and functional verification of active ingredients. Researchers constructed a database containing more than 27 000 molecules of 503 types of FMH substances and used an intelligent prediction model to rapidly screen new COX-2/mPGES-1 inhibitors (Tian et al., 2023), providing data support for subsequent drug research and development. However, there are still obstacles to applying these achievements to actual diagnosis and treatment. Although animal experiments have confirmed the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties of FMH substances (Guo et al., 2022; Zeng et al., 2022), but there is a lack of large-scale population-based controlled trials to verify its clinical effect. Research costs and ethical considerations also restrict the conduct of the experiment. Furthermore, the FMH substance contains multiple active components, and the interactions among its components pose a challenge to the clinical trial design of a single target (Noor et al., 2022). 6.2 Security and risk assessment in applications Before FMH substances enter clinical practice, a comprehensive safety and risk assessment is an indispensable link. Especially, food-drug interactions need attention because many FMH substances can bind to drug transporters and metabolic enzymes, altering the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of shared drugs (Briguglio et al., 2018; Koziolek et al., 2019). For instance, some food-source compounds have been proven to inhibit intestinal cytochrome P450 enzymes and transporters, thereby affecting the absorption and metabolism of drugs (Won et al., 2012). These interactions may lead to adverse reactions clinically or reduce the risk of drug efficacy. In addition, multiple active ingredients coexist in the FMH substance, which may cause unexpected interactions and side effects, and the potential risks need to be evaluated. A systematic review of pesticide formulations found
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