Hepatoprotective properties of extensively studied medicinal plant active constituents: Possible common mechanisms

Figures & data

Table 1. Most frequently studied hepatoprotective phytochemicals.

Compound	Chemical class	Major food resources	Major biological activity	References
Silymarin (Silybin)	Mixture of flavonolignans consisting of among others of silibinin (70–80%), isosilibinin, silicristin, and silidianin	Seeds of milk thistle Silybum marianum	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, protein synthesis increasing/regenerative, membrane stabilizing, and toxin blocking activities; it reduces tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis as well as insulin resistance	Abenavoli et al. (2010), Ding et al. (2012), El-Kamary et al. (2009), Falasca et al. (2008), Farghali et al. (2000a), Ferenci et al. (1989), Gharagozloo et al. (2009), Glauert et al. (2010), Haddad et al. (2011), Loguercio et al. (2012), Mereish et al. (1991), Pradhan and Girish (2006), Salamone et al. (2012a, b), Singh et al. (2012), Thabrew and Huges (1996), Wagner et al. (1968, 1974), and Zhang et al. (2013a,b)
Curcumin	Polyphenol: (1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione	Rhizomes turmeric (Curcuma longa), yellow spice	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, anticancer, antiagreggatory, and potent cytochrome P450 inhibitory activities	Cerny et al. (2011), Ding et al. (2012), Gupta et al. (2013), Maiti et al. (2007), Kim et al. (2013), Singh et al. (2012), Zhang et al. (2013a), Zhou et al. (2011)
Quercetin	Flavonol: 2-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-3,5,7-trihydroxy-4H-chromen-4-one	Fruits (apples, cranberries), vegetables (broccoli, onion), tea leaves (Camellia sinensis), grains (buckwheat)	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities	Chirumbolo (2010), Egert et al. (2009), Lekic et al. (2013), and Zhao et al. (2011)
Resveratrol	Polyphenol: trans-3,5,4’-trihydroxystilbene	Berries, grapes, wine, peanuts	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiaging, antithrombotic, antifibrogenic, and regenerative properties; it reduces tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis as well as insulin resistance	Aftab et al. (2010), Athar et al. (2009), Bishayee et al. (2010), Cerny et al. (2009), Farghali et al. (2009), Glauert et al. (2010), Li et al. (2014), Patel et al. (2011), Smoliga and Rundell (2011), Smoliga et al. (2012), Suchankova et al. (2009), Timmers et al. (2012), Wong et al. (2009), and Zhang et al. (2013a)
Glycyrrhizin	Triterpenic glycoside: (3β,18α)-30-hydroxy-11,30-dioxoolean-12-en-3-yl 2-O-β-d-glucopyranuronosyl-β-d-glucopyranosid-uronic acid	Root of Indian licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)	Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities	Jayaprakasam et al. (2009), Ni et al. (2011), Orlent et al. (2006), Wan et al. (2009), Yasui et al. (2011), Zhang et al. (2013a)
Colchicine	Tricyclic polymethoxy-derivate: N-[(7S)-1,2,3,10-tetramethoxy-9-oxo-5,6,7,9-tetrahydrobenzo[a]heptalen-7-yl]acetamide	Plants of the genus Colchicum (autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale)	Anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and immunomodulatory activities	Arrieta et al. (2006), Leung et al. (2011), Muntoni et al. (2010), and Nikolaidis et al. (2006)

Figure 1. Common in vivo models of liver damage.

Figure 2. The most important multiple pathways in the liver pathobiology that can be interrupted at one or more levels by hepatoprotective plant constituents (not shown) to interfere with oxidative stress. ACC, acetyl-CoA carboxylase; AMPK, adenosine-5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; Bax, proapoptotic protein of Bcl-2 family; BSEP, bile salt export pump; CAT, catalase; CO, carbon monoxide; COX-2, inducible cyclooxygenase; CYP, cytochrome P450; eCa2+, extracellular calcium; ECM, extracellular matrix; eNOS (NOS-1), endothelial nitric oxide synthase; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; GPx, glutathione peroxidase; GSH, reduced glutathione; GST, glutathione-S-transferase; HO-1, inducible heme oxygenase; IL, interleukin; iCa2+, intracellular calcium; iNOS (NOS-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase; MDR3, multidrug resistance protein 3; MRP2, multidrug resistance-related protein 2; NO, nitric oxide; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa-B; NRS, nitrogen reactive species; ONOO−, peroxynitrite anion; p53, protein p53; PPAR-α/γ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α/γ; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SIRT1, silent information regulator T1; SOD, superoxide dismutase; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α, VCAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1.

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