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The Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
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The Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2025) | Viewed by 8982

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Saioa Gómez-Zorita

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Nutrition and Obesity Group, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy and Lucio Lascaray Research Center, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria, Spain
2. CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
3. BIOARABA Institute of Health, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Interests: obesity; liver steatosis; insulin resistance; bioactive compounds; mitochondria; autophagy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. María P. Portillo

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. Nutrition and Obesity Group, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lucio Lascaray Research Center, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 01006 Vitoria, Spain
2. CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
3. BIOARABA Institute of Health, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Interests: molecular nutrition; nutritional and metabolic diseases; adipocytes; hepatocytes; lipogenesis; fat; inflammatory biomarkers; obesity; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; insulin signaling; insulin; glucose metabolism; lipid metabolism; insulin resistance; adipogenesis; adipose tissue; liver
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) are a vast spectrum of different diseases that affect up to 30% of the adult population. It is related to several co-morbidities, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Moreover, it ranges from simple steatosis, considered a benign disease, to other diseases, such as steatohepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma.

Due to the lack of effective pharmacologic agents, the scientific community is looking for new treatments. The use of natural products has emerged as an alternative therapeutic for the treatment of hepatic diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, insulin-sensitizing, antiobesity, hypolipidemic, and hepatoprotective properties.

We are pleased to invite you to participate in this Special Issue, "The Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease", by presenting your most recent research or ideas focused on the molecular-level studies between NAFLD and natural products. Experimental papers and up-to-date review articles are all welcome.

Dr. Saioa Gómez-Zorita
Prof. Dr. María P. Portillo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fatty liver
  • steatosis
  • steatohepatitis
  • hepatocarcinoma
  • non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • inflammation
  • fibrosis
  • oxidative stress
  • liver injury
  • active biomolecules
  • natural products
  • food
  • precision nutrition

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4498 KiB  
Article
8-Prenylgenistein Isoflavone in Cheonggukjang Acts as a Novel AMPK Activator Attenuating Hepatic Steatosis by Enhancing the SIRT1-Mediated Pathway
by Radha Arulkumar, Hee Jin Jung, Sang Gyun Noh, Hyun Woo Kim and Hae Young Chung
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(17), 9730; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179730 - 8 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1617
Abstract
8-Prenylgenistein (8PG), a genistein derivative, is present in fermented soybeans (Glycine max), including cheonggukjang (CGJ), and exhibits osteoprotective, osteogenic, and antiadipogenic properties. However, the hepatoprotective effects of 8PG and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Here, we identified the high binding affinity [...] Read more.
8-Prenylgenistein (8PG), a genistein derivative, is present in fermented soybeans (Glycine max), including cheonggukjang (CGJ), and exhibits osteoprotective, osteogenic, and antiadipogenic properties. However, the hepatoprotective effects of 8PG and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Here, we identified the high binding affinity of 8PG with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), which acts as a potent AMPK activator that counteracts hepatic steatosis. Notably, 8PG exhibited better pharmacokinetics with greater absorption and higher plasma binding than the positive controls for the target proteins. Moreover, 8PG exerted non-carcinogenic activity in rats and significantly increased AMPK phosphorylation. Compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, did not antagonize 8PG-activated AMPK in HepG2 cells. 8PG significantly attenuated palmitate-induced lipid accumulation and enhanced phosphorylated AMPK and its downstream target, acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Further, 8PG activated nuclear SIRT1 at the protein level, which promoted fatty acid oxidation in palmitate-treated HepG2 cells. Overall, 8PG acts as a potent AMPK activator, further attenuating hepatic steatosis via the SIRT1-mediated pathway and providing new avenues for dietary interventions to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease)
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Review

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18 pages, 1383 KiB  
Review
Beneficial Effects of Xanthohumol on Metabolic Syndrome: Evidence from In Vitro and Animal Model Studies
by Saioa Gómez-Zorita, Carina Proença, Alfredo Fernández-Quintela, Isabel Moreno-Indias and María P. Portillo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12434; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212434 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1207
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome refers to the simultaneous occurrence of several disorders that have been associated with other co-morbidities, such as a pro-inflammatory state and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Nowadays, it is a growing public health problem that contributes to the development of non-communicable diseases, [...] Read more.
Metabolic syndrome refers to the simultaneous occurrence of several disorders that have been associated with other co-morbidities, such as a pro-inflammatory state and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Nowadays, it is a growing public health problem that contributes to the development of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive deficits among others. Its incidence has been related to modifiable lifestyle factors, mainly dietary patterns and physical activity. In addition, numerous studies have observed the potential beneficial effects of polyphenols in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome components in both animals and humans. In this line, the aim of this review is to present the scientific evidence available about the beneficial effects of the phenolic compound xanthohumol in the prevention and/or treatment of obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and fatty liver, which are important components of metabolic syndrome. All the potential beneficial effects described in this manuscript have been observed in vitro and in animal models, there are no published clinical trials in this context yet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease)
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31 pages, 9580 KiB  
Review
Berberine Effects in Pre-Fibrotic Stages of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease—Clinical and Pre-Clinical Overview and Systematic Review of the Literature
by Florentina Ionita-Radu, Cristina Patoni, Andreea Simona Nancoff, Flavius-Stefan Marin, Laura Gaman, Ana Bucurica, Calin Socol, Mariana Jinga, Madalina Dutu and Sandica Bucurica
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4201; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084201 - 10 Apr 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5249
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the predominant cause of chronic liver conditions, and its progression is marked by evolution to non-alcoholic steatosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis related to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and the potential occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. In our systematic review, we searched two [...] Read more.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the predominant cause of chronic liver conditions, and its progression is marked by evolution to non-alcoholic steatosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis related to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and the potential occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. In our systematic review, we searched two databases, Medline (via Pubmed Central) and Scopus, from inception to 5 February 2024, and included 73 types of research (nine clinical studies and 64 pre-clinical studies) from 2854 published papers. Our extensive research highlights the impact of Berberine on NAFLD pathophysiology mechanisms, such as Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK), gut dysbiosis, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), Sirtuins, and inflammasome. Studies involving human subjects showed a measurable reduction of liver fat in addition to improved profiles of serum lipids and hepatic enzymes. While current drugs for NAFLD treatment are either scarce or still in development or launch phases, Berberine presents a promising profile. However, improvements in its formulation are necessary to enhance the bioavailability of this natural substance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease)
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