The Safety and Effectiveness of a Polysaccharide Extracted from Rosa Canina in Patients with NAFLD: A Randomized Trial

Abstract

Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) is a common pathology of hepatocytes due to the accumulation of fat which is predominantly implicated in obesity. Due to the multifaceted characterization of fatty liver and no effective treatment, this study was aimed to assess the protective effect of a polysaccharide in NAFL patients. Materials and methods: Polysaccharide fraction was isolated from Rosa canina and administered to 33 NAFL patients for 90 days. Demographic information, liver ultrasonography, and the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) enzymes were studied. Data were analyzed with the use of SPSS version 21 (SPSS, Inc.) All data were shown as means ± SDs and p < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: After 90-day prescription, the weight loss, reduced activity of ALT and AST as well as changing the echogenicity of the liver from grades of 3, 2, and 1 to 2, 1 and normal, respectively, were observed in patients compared to the baseline (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, there were no visible side effects in patients during drug consumption. Conclusions: The data indicated that polysaccharide fraction with no obvious side effects is significantly able to protect the liver from steatosis in patients with NAFL disease. However, further information is required to better conclude on the effectiveness of the isolated polysaccharide as a promising fatty liver drug.