Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is complex. Frontline western medicines only ameliorate the symptoms of NAFLD. On the contrary, the uniqueness of Chinese medicine in its interpretation of NAFLD and the holistic therapeutic approach lead to a promising therapeutic efficacy. Recent studies reveal that the gut–liver axis and adipose tissue–liver axis play important roles in the development of NAFLD. Interestingly, with advanced technology, many herbal formulae are found to target the gut–liver axis and adipose tissue–liver axis and resolve the inflammation in NAFLD. This is the first review summarizes the current findings on the Chinese herbal formulae that target the two axes in NAFLD treatment. This review not only demonstrates how the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine is being interpreted by modern pharmacological studies, but also provides valuable information for the further development of the herbal-based treatment for NAFLD.
Highlights
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease
China will have the highest incidence of NAFLD that may reach 314.58 million cases in 2030 [5]; and the nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) population will increase by 48% to 48.26 million cases or 15% of all the NAFLD cases [5]
Qing Gan Zi Shen Tang (QGZST) dramatically attenuates the production of proinflammatory cytokines and adiponectin from the adipocytes by stimulating the activities of Sirtuin-1 and Forkhead box protein-O1, while reducing the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-g (PPAR-g), CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins-a (C/EBP-a), fatty acid binding protein-4, acetylated nuclear factor-kB-p65 and protein-tyrosine phosphatase-1B [139]. These results strongly suggest that QGZST can be used to treat adipocyte hyperplasia and the inflammation
Summary
Reviewed by: Shao Li, Tsinghua University, China Ludovico Abenavoli, University of Catanzaro, Italy. Recent studies reveal that the gut–liver axis and adipose tissue–liver axis play important roles in the development of NAFLD. With advanced technology, many herbal formulae are found to target the gut–liver axis and adipose tissue–liver axis and resolve the inflammation in NAFLD. This is the first review summarizes the current findings on the Chinese herbal formulae that target the two axes in NAFLD treatment. This review demonstrates how the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine is being interpreted by modern pharmacological studies, and provides valuable information for the further development of the herbal-based treatment for NAFLD
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