The hepatoprotective effects of plant-based foods based on the “gut–liver axis”: a prospective review

Abstract

The importance of the “gut–liver axis” in the pathogenesis of liver diseases has been revealed recently; which promotes the process of developing preventive and therapeutic strategies. However, considering that there are still many challenges in the medical treatment of liver diseases, potential preventive dietary intervention may be a good alternative choice. Plant-based foods have received much attention due to their reported health-promoting effects in targeting multiple pathways involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases as well as the relative safety for general use. Based on the PubMed and Web of Science databases, this review emphatically summarizes the plant-based foods and their chemical constituents with reported effects to impact the LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway of gut–liver axis of various liver diseases, reflecting their health benefits in preventing/alleviating liver diseases. Moreover, some plant-based foods with potential gut–liver effects are specifically analyzed from the reported studies and conclusions. This review intends to provide readers an overview of the current progress in the field of this research topic. We expect to see more hepatoprotective measures for alleviating the current prevalence of liver diseases.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

• Liver diseases
• plant-based foods
• intestinal mucosal barrier
• LPS/TLR4
• pharmacological effects
• mechanisms

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82073994 to Dr. Rui Li); the Outstanding Young Scientific and Technological Talents Project of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (Grant No. 2020JDJQ0049 to Dr. Rui Li); the Key Open Fund of Key Laboratory of Coarse Grain Processing, Ministry of Agriculture (Grant No. 2019CC02 to Dr. Rui Li); the International Cooperation Project of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (Grant No. 2018HH0122 to Dr. Wan Liao); Chengdu Science and Technology Bureau International Science and Technology Cooperation Project (Grant No. 2017-GH02-00054-HZ to Dr. Wan Liao); the Xinglin Scholars Research Enhancement Program (Grant No. QJJJ2021002 to Dr. Rui Li, Grant No. QNXZ2018026 to Dr. Wan Liao); the Chun-Hui Research Project of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20191083-127 to Dr. Rui Li); the USDA-ARS Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products National Program (Grant CRIS 6054-41000-113-00-D to Dr. Heping Cao).