药用植物抗肝毒性的最新研究进展

肝脏损害是由于微循环障碍、肝细胞变性坏死而引起的肝功能异常,它影响到几乎每个年龄段人群肝脏细胞的重要生物活性,而常规用药来抑制肝脏损害是远远不够的。而且,由于对抗疗法所用药物往往具有肝毒性,反而加剧了肝脏功能的紊乱。为了寻找安全有效的替代药物,人们逐渐把目光转向了具有保肝作用的药用植物,并对其进行系统性的方法学研究和药用原理评估。药用植物治疗肝病具有悠久的历史,最早可追溯到公元前2100年的中国夏朝和古印度吠陀时期,但是能证明那个时期药用植物有效治疗肝病的证据却很难寻觅。本文旨在系统性地概述现今在临床治疗和实验研究中最常用以及最有效的保肝类药用植物。

A recent update in research on the antihepatotoxic potential of medicinal plants

Hepatic damage is a global metabolic and epidemic disease, affecting essential biochemical activities in almost every age group. Conventional drugs used in the treatment of liver disorders are often inadequate. Also, the spectrum of liver abnormalities caused by allopathic drugs is found to be broad. In view of severely undesirable side effects of synthetic agents, it is necessary to search for alternative drugs for the treatment of liver diseases to replace the currently used drugs, which are of doubtful efficacy and safety. Therefore, there is growing focus to follow systematic research methodology and to evaluate scientific basis for the traditional herbal medicines that are claimed to possess hepatoprotective activities. Use of herbal drugs in the treatment of liver diseases has a long tradition, especially in Eastern medicine and can be traced back as far as 2100 B.C. in ancient China (Xia Dynasty) and India (Vedic period), but evidence for efficacy is sparse. The current study is aimed at providing an overview of clinical and experimental studies carried out on the most effective and commonly used hepatoprotective plants and their beneficial aspects.