Supplementation with Lycium chinense fruit extract attenuates methionine choline-deficient diet-induced steatohepatitis in mice

A Systematic Review of the Beneficial Effects of Berry Extracts on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Animal Models

CONTEXT

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries and is strongly associated with several metabolic disorders. Plant-derived bioactive extracts, such as berry extracts, with high antioxidant capacity have been used for the treatment and prevention of this pathology. Moreover, they promote circular economy and sustainability.

OBJECTIVE

To study the beneficial effects of extracts from different parts of berry plants in animal models of NAFLD.

DATA SOURCES

A systematic research of the MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane, and Scopus databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published after January 2011. In vivo animal studies of NAFLD were included in which berry extracts of different parts of the plant were administered and significantly improved altered biomarkers related to the pathology, such as lipid metabolism and hepatic steatosis, glucose and glycogen metabolism, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory biomarkers.

DATA EXTRACTION

Of a total of 203 articles identified, 31 studies were included after implementation of the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

DATA ANALYSIS

Most of the studies showed a decrease in steatosis and a stimulation of genes related to β-oxidation and downregulation of lipogenic genes, with administration of berry extracts. Berry extracts also attenuated inflammation and oxidative stress.

CONCLUSIONS

Administration of berry extracts seems to have promising potential in the design of enriched foodstuffs or nutraceuticals for the treatment of NAFLD.

Lycium chinense Miller fruit extract lowers liver enzyme levels in subjects with mild hepatic dysfunction: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

PURPOSE

In our previous study, we showed that Lycium chinense Miller fruit extract (LFE) exerted hepatoprotective effects in mice. In the current study, we examined the effect of LFE on liver enzyme levels in subjects with mild hepatic dysfunction.

METHODS

A total of 90 subjects, aged 19 to 70 years old, with abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, were randomly placed into either an LFE (n = 45) treatment group or a placebo group (n = 45). During the 12-week clinical trial, subjects in each group received either LFE or placebo capsules, and were instructed to take four tablets per day (1760 mg/day). The primary outcome of the study was the changes of ALT and γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels in each subject. The safety of LFE supplementation was assessed and adverse events were recorded.

RESULTS

LFE supplementation for 12 weeks resulted in a significant reduction of ALT (P = 0.0498) and GGT (P = 0.0368) levels in comparison to the placebo. No clinically significant changes were observed in any safety parameters.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that LFE can be applied to subjects with mild hepatic dysfunction with no possible side effects.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was registered at the Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) as no. KCT0003985.

Italian Lycium barbarum L. Berry: Chemical Characterization and Nutraceutical Value

Lycium barbarum L. has received considerable attention in recent years also in western countries because of the interesting healthy value of these berries. In this paper, goji samples cultivated in Southern Italy were analyzed for their chemical composition and nutritional profile in order to characterize fruits of Italian origin and to increase the awareness about their nutraceutical value. Lipid fraction was characterized by high percentages of unsaturated fatty acids, in particular oleic and linoleic acids, and very low values of atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes (0.1 and 0.2, respectively). In addition, goji berry was an interesting source of phytosterols (41.5 mg/100 g), essentially represented by β-sitosterol. Carotenoid analysis showed the presence of zeaxanthin, in esterified form, with high content of zeaxanthin dipalmitate (277.9 mg/100 g). Finally, in vitro antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds were investigated. The results suggested that goji hydro-alcoholic extract possessed the ability to scavenge free radicals. Phenolic acids were clearly the most abundant compounds followed by flavonols and favanols. The results reported in this study confirm that Italian L. barbarum berry is a rich source of bioactive molecules with nutraceutical properties.