title: Hepatoprotective properties of extensively studied medicinal plant active constituents: possible common mechanisms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We focused on certain plant active constituents considered to be the most promising/studied for liver disease and that were critically investigated from the basic science point of view and, to some extent, the clinical one. Due to insufficient pharmacological data, most of the herbal formulations containing these molecules cannot be recommended for the treatment of liver disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To present the most promising compounds tested experimentally and/or clinically and describe in brief popular models in experimental testing of potential hepatoprotective compounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search using Web of Science (WOS), PubMed, and Google search was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Focusing on a few herbal hepatoprotective active constituents is useful to health professionals working in the field of therapeutics to develop evidence-based hepatoprotective agents by conducting research on pure chemical structures or on molecular modifications using computational chemistry. This review demonstrates that multi-pathways in the liver pathobiology can be interrupted at one or more levels by natural hepatoprotective studied, such as interference with the oxidative stress at multiple levels to reduce reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, resulting in ameliorating hepatotoxicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatoprotective constituents of herbal medications are poorly absorbed after oral administration; methods that can improve their bioavailability are being developed. It is recommended that controlled prospective double-blind multicenter studies on isolated active plant constituents, or on related newly designed molecules after structural modifications, should be performed. This effort will lead to expanding the existing, limited drugs for the vast majority of liver diseases.
authors.affiliation: First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology, Charles University in Prague , Czech Republic and.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Farghali
authors.forename: Nikolina Kutinová
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Canová
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zakhari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D020011:Protective Agents
keywords: Clinical trials; evidence-based hepatoprotectants; hepatotoxicity models; herbal medications; liver disease; oxidative stress