Dr. BC Roy College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Durgapur, India.
Pharm Biol. 2011 Sep;49(9):970-88. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2011.558515. Epub 2011 May 19.
Liver disease is a serious ailment and the scenario is worsened by the lack of precise therapeutic regimens. Currently available therapies for liver ailments are not apposite and systemic toxicity inhibits their long term use. Medicinal plants have been traditionally used for treating liver diseases since centuries as the toxicity factor appears to be on the lower side.
Several phytochemials have been identified which have significant hepatoprotective activity with minimal systemic adverse effects which could limit their long term use. The scenario calls for extensive investigations which can lead to development of lead molecules for hepatoprotective molecules of future. This review deals with the biological activity, mode of action and toxicity and forthcoming application of some of these leads.
These generally have strong antioxidative potential and cause induction of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione and catalase. Additional mechanisms of hepatoprotection include stimulation of heme oxygenase-1 activity, inhibition of nitric oxide production, hepatocyte apoptosis and nuclear factor-κB activation.
Out of the several leads obtained from plant sources as potential hepatoprotective agents, silymarin, andrographolide, neoandrographolide, curcumin, picroside, kutkoside, phyllanthin, hypophyllanthin, and glycyrrhizin have been established as potent hepatoprotective agents. The hepatoprotective potential of several herbal medicines has been clinically evaluated. Significant efficacy has been seen with silymarin, glycyrrhizin and Liv-52 in treatment of hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease and liver cirrhosis.
肝脏疾病是一种严重的疾病，由于缺乏精确的治疗方案，情况更加恶化。目前用于治疗肝脏疾病的疗法并不合适，而且全身毒性会抑制它们的长期使用。几个世纪以来，药用植物一直被用于治疗肝脏疾病，因为其毒性因素似乎较低。
已经鉴定出一些植物化学物质，它们具有显著的保肝活性，全身不良反应最小，这可能限制了它们的长期使用。这种情况需要进行广泛的研究，这可能会导致开发出未来用于保肝的先导分子。这篇综述涉及了一些先导化合物的生物学活性、作用机制、毒性以及未来的应用前景。
这些先导化合物通常具有很强的抗氧化潜力，能诱导超氧化物歧化酶、还原型谷胱甘肽和过氧化氢酶等抗氧化酶的产生。保肝的其他机制包括刺激血红素加氧酶-1 活性、抑制一氧化氮的产生、肝细胞凋亡和核因子-κB 的激活。
从植物来源获得的几种有希望的保肝先导化合物中，水飞蓟素、穿心莲内酯、新穿心莲内酯、姜黄素、獐牙菜苦苷、苦参酮、叶下珠素、齐墩果酸、甘草酸已被确认为有效的保肝剂。几种草药的保肝潜力已在临床上得到评估。水飞蓟素、甘草酸和 Liv-52 在治疗肝炎、酒精性肝病和肝硬化方面显示出显著的疗效。
