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Review
. 2024 Jun 20:15:1400958.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1400958. eCollection 2024.

The roles and potential mechanisms of plant polysaccharides in liver diseases: a review

Xianzhi Wei #  1   2 , Daimin Luo #  1 , Haonan Li #  1 , Yagang Li  1   2 , Shizhuo Cen  1   2 , Min Huang  1   2 , Xianxing Jiang  1 , Guoping Zhong  1   2 , Weiwei Zeng  3
Affiliations
Review

The roles and potential mechanisms of plant polysaccharides in liver diseases: a review

Xianzhi Wei et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Plant polysaccharides (PP) demonstrate a diverse array of biological and pharmacological properties. This comprehensive review aims to compile and present the multifaceted roles and underlying mechanisms of plant polysaccharides in various liver diseases. These diseases include non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcoholic liver disease (ALD), fibrosis, drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to elucidate the intricate mechanisms and therapeutic potential of plant polysaccharides, shedding light on their significance and potential applications in the management and potential prevention of these liver conditions. An exhaustive literature search was conducted for this study, utilizing prominent databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI. The search criteria focused on the formula "(plant polysaccharides liver disease) NOT (review)" was employed to ensure the inclusion of original research articles up to the year 2023. Relevant literature was extracted and analyzed from these databases. Plant polysaccharides exhibit promising pharmacological properties, particularly in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism and their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. The ongoing progress of studies on the molecular mechanisms associated with polysaccharides will offer novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of chronic liver diseases (CLDs).

Keywords: alcohol-related liver disease; anti-inflammation; antifibrotic; drug-induced liver injury; hepatocellular carcinoma; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; plant polysaccharides.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Anti-NAFLD activities and related mechanisms of PP.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Anti-ALD activities and related mechanisms of PP.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
PP impact on DILI activities and related mechanisms.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
PP impact on hepatic fibrosis activities and related mechanisms.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Anti-tumor activities and related mechanisms of PP.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The Project was Supported by the Opening Project of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, (No. 2020B1212060034).