Potential Therapeutic Implication of Herbal Medicine in Mitochondria-Mediated Oxidative Stress-Related Liver Diseases

Moon Nyeo Park; Md Ataur Rahman; Md Hasanur Rahman; Jong Woo Kim; Min Choi; Jeong Woo Kim; Jinwon Choi; Myunghan Moon; Kazi Rejvee Ahmed; Bonglee Kim

doi:10.3390/antiox11102041

Potential Therapeutic Implication of Herbal Medicine in Mitochondria-Mediated Oxidative Stress-Related Liver Diseases

Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Oct 17;11(10):2041. doi: 10.3390/antiox11102041.

Authors

Moon Nyeo Park^{1

2}, Md Ataur Rahman^{1

2

3}, Md Hasanur Rahman^{1

2}, Jong Woo Kim^{1

2}, Min Choi^{1

2}, Jeong Woo Kim^{1

2}, Jinwon Choi^{1

2}, Myunghan Moon^{1

2}, Kazi Rejvee Ahmed^{1

2}, Bonglee Kim^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea.
² Korean Medicine-Based Drug Repositioning Cancer Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea.
³ Global Biotechnology and Biomedical Research Network (GBBRN), Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Islamic University, Kushtia 7003, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Mitochondria are double-membrane organelles that play a role in ATP synthesis, calcium homeostasis, oxidation-reduction status, apoptosis, and inflammation. Several human disorders have been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. It has been found that traditional therapeutic herbs are effective on alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which are leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to oxidative stress is caused by mitochondrial dysfunction and is considered critical for treatment. The role of oxidative stress, lipid toxicity, and inflammation in NAFLD are well known. NAFLD is a chronic liver disease that commonly progresses to cirrhosis and chronic liver disease, and people with obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension are at a higher risk of developing NAFLD. NAFLD is associated with a number of pathological factors, including insulin resistance, lipid metabolic dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis. As a result, the improvement in steatosis and inflammation is enough to entice researchers to look into liver disease treatment. However, antioxidant treatment has not been very effective for liver disease. Additionally, it has been suggested that the beneficial effects of herbal medicines on immunity and inflammation are governed by various mechanisms for lipid metabolism and inflammation control. This review provided a summary of research on herbal medicines for the therapeutic implementation of mitochondria-mediated ROS production in liver disease as well as clinical applications through herbal medicine. In addition, the pathophysiology of common liver disorders such as ALD and NAFLD would be investigated in the role that mitochondria play in the process to open new therapeutic avenues in the management of patients with liver disease.

Keywords: catechol-containing antioxidants; herbal medicine; liver diseases; mitochondria; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); oxidative stress.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2020R1I1A2066868): the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2020R1A5A2019413).