Hepatoprotection of capsaicin in alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases

The gut-liver axis in fatty liver disease: role played by natural products

Fatty liver disease, a condition characterized by fatty degeneration of the liver, mainly classified as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD), has become a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. The gut-liver axis is the bidirectional relationship between the gut and its microbiota and its liver. The liver can communicate with the gut through the bile ducts, while the portal vein transports the products of the gut flora to the liver. The intestinal flora and its metabolites directly and indirectly regulate hepatic gene expression, leading to an imbalance in the gut-liver axis and thus contributing to the development of liver disease. Utilizing natural products for the prevention and treatment of various metabolic diseases is a prevalent practice, and it is anticipated to represent the forthcoming trend in the development of drugs for combating NAFLD/ALD. This paper discusses the mechanism of the enterohepatic axis in fatty liver, summarizes the important role of plant metabolites in natural products in fatty liver treatment by regulating the enterohepatic axis, and provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent development of new drugs and clinical research.

Pathophysiological-Based Nutritional Interventions in Cirrhotic Patients with Sarcopenic Obesity: A State-of-the-Art Narrative Review

In recent decades, following the spread of obesity, metabolic dysfunction has come to represent the leading cause of liver disease. The classical clinical presentation of the cirrhotic patient has, therefore, greatly changed, with a dramatic increase in subjects who appear overweight or obese. Due to an obesogenic lifestyle (lack of physical activity and overall malnutrition, with an excess of caloric intake together with a deficit of proteins and micronutrients), these patients frequently develop a complex clinical condition defined as sarcopenic obesity (SO). The interplay between cirrhosis and SO lies in the sharing of multiple pathogenetic mechanisms, including malnutrition/malabsorption, chronic inflammation, hyperammonemia and insulin resistance. The presence of SO worsens the outcome of cirrhotic patients, affecting overall morbidity and mortality. International nutrition and liver diseases societies strongly agree on recommending the use of food as an integral part of the healing process in the comprehensive management of these patients, including a reduction in caloric intake, protein and micronutrient supplementation and sodium restriction. Based on the pathophysiological paths shared by cirrhosis and SO, this narrative review aims to highlight the nutritional interventions currently advocated by international guidelines, as well as to provide hints on the possible role of micronutrients and nutraceuticals in the treatment of this multifaceted clinical condition.

A review of edible plant-derived natural compounds for the therapy of liver fibrosis

Liver fibrosis has a high incidence worldwide and is the common pathological basis of many chronic liver diseases. Liver fibrosis is caused by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix and concomitant collagen accumulation in livers and can lead to the development of liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. A large number of studies have provided evidence that liver fibrosis can be blocked or even reversed by appropriate medical interventions. However, the antifibrosis drugs with ideal clinical efficacy are still insufficient. The edible plant-derived natural compounds have been reported to exert effective antifibrotic effects with few side-effects, representing a kind of promising source for the treatment of liver fibrosis. In this article, we reviewed the current progress of the natural compounds derived from dietary plants in the treatment of liver fibrosis, including phenolic compounds (capsaicin, chlorogenic acid, curcumin, ellagic acid, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, resveratrol, sinapic acid, syringic acid, vanillic acid and vitamin E), flavonoid compounds (genistein, hesperidin, hesperetin, naringenin, naringin and quercetin), sulfur-containing compounds (S-allylcysteine, ergothioneine, lipoic acid and sulforaphane) and other compounds (betaine, caffeine, cucurbitacin B, lycopene, α-mangostin, γ-mangostin, ursolic acid, vitamin C and yangonin). The pharmacological effects and related mechanisms of these compounds in in-vivo and in-vitro models of liver fibrosis are focused.

Natural Compounds with Aldose Reductase (AR) Inhibition: A Class of Medicative Agents for Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease (FLD), which includes both non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD), is a worldwide health concern. The etiology of ALD is long-term alcohol consumption, while NAFLD is defined as an abnormal amount of lipid present in liver cells, which is not caused by alcohol intake and has recently been identified as a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and obesity). Inflammation, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolic dysregulation are all known to play a role in FLD progression. Alternative and natural therapies are desperately needed to treat this disease since existing pharmaceuticals are mostly ineffective. The aldose reductase (AR)/polyol pathway has recently been shown to play a role in developing FLD by contributing to inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and fat accumulation. Herein, we review the effects of plantderived compounds capable of inhibiting AR in FLD models. Natural AR inhibitors have been found to improve FLD in part by suppressing inflammation, oxidative stress, and steatosis via the regulation of several critical pathways, including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathway, cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) pathway, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, etc. This review revealed that natural compounds with AR inhibitory effects are a promising class of therapeutic agents for FLD.

Technologies for Solubility, Dissolution and Permeation Enhancement of Natural Compounds

The current review is based on the advancements in the field of natural therapeutic agents which could be utilized for a variety of biomedical applications and against various diseases and ailments. In addition, several obstacles have to be circumvented to achieve the desired therapeutic effectiveness, among which limited dissolution and/or solubility and permeability are included. To counteract these issues, several advancements in the field of natural therapeutic substances needed to be addressed. Therefore, in this review, the possible techniques for the dissolution/solubility and permeability improvements have been addressed which could enhance the dissolution and permeability up to several times. In addition, the conventional and modern isolation and purification techniques have been emphasized to achieve the isolation and purification of single or multiple therapeutic constituents with convenience and smarter approaches. Moreover, a brief overview of advanced natural compounds with multiple therapeutic effectiveness have also been anticipated. In brief, enough advancements have been carried out to achieve safe, effective and economic use of natural medicinal agents with improved stability, handling and storage.