Antioxidants in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases

Abstract

Oxidative stress is believed to play a role in the initiation and progression of liver diseases, leading to the proposal that antioxidant therapy has the potential to prevent and treat liver diseases that involve oxidative stress. This chapter reviews preclinical studies using animal models that evaluate the efficacy of various antioxidants including pure compounds and herbal medicines. Furthermore, therapeutic outcomes of antioxidants in patients with alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic liver disease are also summarized. Although a great deal of encouraging data on various antioxidants has been obtained in animal studies, the potential of application of antioxidants solely or as adjuvant therapy in human liver diseases is still controversial and challenging. On the one hand, this might be partly due to the fact that only the early phases of liver diseases are studied in most animal models, suggesting that antioxidants might have a greater role in less advanced hepatic diseases. On the other hand, translational research should also be further improved to realize the application of antioxidants in liver diseases. Factors such as the duration of treatment, dose to be used, bioavailability in human, and mode of administration should be carefully explored in future studies. Additionally, study design, clinical endpoints, and choice of patient population should also be critically considered in clinical trials. In summary, intensive efforts should be made to establish a role for antioxidant treatment of liver disease.