A Systematic Review on Important Risk Factors and Possible Involved Mechanisms of Medicinal Plants on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common diseases in the industrialized world. Hyperlipidemia, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are known to be major risk factors for NAFLD, and chemical drugs are rarely effective in treating this disease and may cause significant complications. It is believed that medicinal plants with antioxidant properties and several other mechanisms have high preventive and therapeutic effects. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effective mechanisms of plants on NAFLD and its risk factors. First, efficient plants and disease risk factors were identified; then, by reviewing scientific information sources and 6523 articles, the positive effects of plants on each risk factors were investigated. This information was recorded in checklist 1. Another 1100 articles (a total of 7623 articles) were systematically reviewed, and the mechanisms of the selected factories regarding the above risk factors were recorded in Checklist No. 2. Plants, their scientific names, family names, the used parts, and their possible mechanisms were identified in the case of 43 effective plants, and their molecular and genetic mechanisms were recorded. According to the results, 33 plants affect all four risk factors, eight of which affect three factors and two affect only two factors. In general, most of the mechanisms were in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. Identification of plants and their effective mechanisms in NAFLD will reduce the incidence of this disease and produce new potent and selective herbal medicines that inhibit each of the risk factors.