Abstract
Liver disease is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, for which inflammation, alcohol use, lipid metabolic disorders, disturbance to bile acid metabolism, and endotoxins are common risk factors. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with its “holistic approach” is widely used throughout the world as a complementary, alternative therapy, due to its clinical efficacy and reduced side effects compared with conventional medicines. However, due to a lack of reliable scientific evidence, the role of TCM in the prevention and treatment of liver disease remains unclear. Over recent years, with the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing, 16S rRNA detection, and bioinformatics methodology, it has been gradually recognized that the regulation of intestinal microbiota by TCM can play a substantial role in the treatment of liver disease. To better understand how TCM regulates the intestinal microbiota and suppresses liver disease, we have reviewed and analyzed the results of existing studies and summarized the relationship and risk factors between intestinal microbiota and liver disease. The present review summarizes the related mechanisms by which TCM affects the composition and metabolites of the intestinal microbiome.
Highlights
Diseases of the liver, including viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver failure, and liver cancer, affect millions of individuals in China, representing one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality [1]
Endogenous ethanol production, fat metabolism, bile acid metabolism, and endotoxin production are influenced by intestinal microbiota, and their metabolites are related to the occurrence and development of liver diseases (Figure 1)
E mechanisms by which Chinese herbs regulate intestinal flora and affect the progression of liver disease involve a reduction in inflammatory injury and oxidative stress, which regulate an individual’s immunity, reducing ammonia levels in serum, improving lipid metabolism, protecting the intestinal barrier, and reversing hepatic fibrosis, which are closely related to the TLR4 signaling pathway, and the involvement of NF-κB, ROS, NOX4/ROS, and RhoA/ROCK1 [78, 80,81,82,83,84, 91]
Summary
Intestinal Microbiota and Liver Diseases: Insights into Therapeutic Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Due to a lack of reliable scientific evidence, the role of TCM in the prevention and treatment of liver disease remains unclear. With the rapid development of highthroughput sequencing, 16S rRNA detection, and bioinformatics methodology, it has been gradually recognized that the regulation of intestinal microbiota by TCM can play a substantial role in the treatment of liver disease. To better understand how TCM regulates the intestinal microbiota and suppresses liver disease, we have reviewed and analyzed the results of existing studies and summarized the relationship and risk factors between intestinal microbiota and liver disease. E present review summarizes the related mechanisms by which TCM affects the composition and metabolites of the intestinal microbiome To better understand how TCM regulates the intestinal microbiota and suppresses liver disease, we have reviewed and analyzed the results of existing studies and summarized the relationship and risk factors between intestinal microbiota and liver disease. e present review summarizes the related mechanisms by which TCM affects the composition and metabolites of the intestinal microbiome
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
