Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Inst of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes -Bridge Funding

The use of natural health products/herbal products has increased substantially over the years in North America, including Canada. However, there is relatively little scientific information available as to how they work or whether they are safe to consume. We have obtained preliminary data indicating that Ginkgo biloba extract and and quercetin (which is a dietary supplement) have the ability to increase the activity of vitamin D. Therefore, in the proposed research project, experiments were designed to: 1) characterize the effects of the combination of Ginkgo biloba extract and vitamin D and those of the combination of quercetin and vitamin D on the action of a receptor known as vitamin D receptor; 2) assess how this combination interacts with the vitamin D receptor; and 3)determine whether these combinations increase the breakdown of a drug known as efavirenz, which is used by HIV patients to treat their infection. The proposed experiments will be performed in cell culture, including human hepatocyte. Our novel studies will provide information on the safety assessment of natural health products (i.e. Ginkgo biloba, quercetin, and vitamin D) that are consumed commonly by Canadian and others in the world.