Meeting abstract
HERBAL PRODUCTS IN TREATMENT OF NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE
Petra Turčić
orcid.org/0000-0002-2621-8257
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Pharmacology, Domagojeva 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Željan Maleš
orcid.org/0000-0003-1034-2525
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacyand Biochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical botany, Schrottova 39, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases
of the liver, which can be transmitted to steatohepatitis, which in about 20% progresses to cirrhosis
or liver cancer. It is a multifactorial disease for which there is currently no satisfactory therapy, and
pharmacological methods are based mainly on the treatment of metabolic disorders associated with the
disease. Antidiabetic agents that increase insulin sensitivity (thiazolidines and biguanides), antioxidants
(vitamin E), antiliphemics (statins), angiotensin receptor blockers and others are used, however none of
them showed significant efficacy and long-term safety in use. Because of all this, for the last decade,
herbal preparations are increasingly attracting attention due to their wide availability, relatively few
side effects, wide mechanism of action, and consequent benefits. So far published in vitro and in vivo
2
Sažeci radova / Abstracts
studies have shown that herbal preparations through various mechanisms of action reduce hepatocellular
damage associated with NAFLD. Some of the mechanisms mentioned are: reduction of lipogenesis;
increased oxidation of β-fatty acids; insulin sensitivity increase; reduction of oxidative stress and activation
of inflammatory pathways.
Herbal preparations can be used as herbal extracts (herb root, green tea, glitter seeds, red grapes), chemical
substances (flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids) and herbal mixtures (chinese, japanese).
From in vitro studies and in vivo animal models, we can conclude that herbal remedies can be promising
therapeutic agents, but there are very few randomized clinical studies that would confirm their effectiveness
and safety in humans. A major problem is the standardization of the sample, formulation and dosage.
Keywords
NAFLD; herbal Products; potential therapy
Hrčak ID:
198846
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2017.
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