Zhang Li, Yao Zemin, Ji Guang
Institute of Digestive Diseases, China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Front Pharmacol. 2018 Dec 11;9:1459. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01459. eCollection 2018.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of chronic liver disease world-wide, and currently therapeutic options for NAFLD are limited. Herbal medicine (HM) may offer an attractive alternative for the treatment of NAFLD. Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in the autophagy-inducing agents, and autophagy activation has been recognized as an efficient strategy in managing NAFLD and related complications. Pharmacological studies have demonstrated certain potential of HM extracts and natural products in inducing autophagy, which might contribute to the efficacy of HM in preventing and treating NAFLD. This review aims to summarize current understanding of mechanisms of HM extracts and natural products in preventing and treating NAFLD. Specially, we focused on mechanisms by which autophagy can target the main pathogenesis events associated with NAFLD, including hepatic steatosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. It is hoped that this brief review can provide a general understanding of HM extracts and natural products in treating NAFLD, and raise awareness of potential clinical application of HM in general.
非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）是全球最常见的慢性肝病形式，目前NAFLD的治疗选择有限。草药（HM）可能为NAFLD的治疗提供一种有吸引力的替代方法。近年来，人们对自噬诱导剂的兴趣日益浓厚，自噬激活已被认为是管理NAFLD及相关并发症的有效策略。药理学研究表明，HM提取物和天然产物在诱导自噬方面具有一定潜力，这可能有助于HM预防和治疗NAFLD的疗效。本综述旨在总结目前对HM提取物和天然产物预防和治疗NAFLD机制的认识。特别地，我们关注自噬能够针对与NAFLD相关的主要发病机制事件的机制，包括肝脂肪变性、炎症、氧化应激和细胞凋亡。希望这篇简短的综述能够让人们对HM提取物和天然产物治疗NAFLD有一个总体了解，并提高人们对HM在一般临床应用中的潜在认识。
