Title:Recent Progress on Anti-Liver Fibrosis Candidates in Patents of Herbal Medicinal Products
VOLUME: 4 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):Xuan-bin Wang, Yibin Feng, Ning Wang, Fan Cheung and Chi-woon Wong
Affiliation:School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 10 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, P R China.
Keywords:Anti-liver fibrosis, complementary and alternative medicines, Chinese medicines, herbal medicines, patent, Obesity, metabolic syndrome, Tibetan capillary extract, fibromyalgia, fibrillation
Abstract:Liver fibrosis is a common cause of chronic failure of liver function, which is characterized by extracellular
matrix accumulation and disruption of normal tissue architecture. Liver fibrosis-dependent mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis
have drawn much attention. Herbal medicines are one of the strategies against liver fibrosis and a way to prevent
hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herbal medicines are usually used as official drugs in China, Japan and other parts of
Asia. In this review, we retrieved and summarized current progress of anti-liver fibrosis candidates in USA, European and
worldwide patents of herbal medicines in recent ten years. The pure compounds, fractions in single herbs and composite
formulae were analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that herbal medicinal products can have potential on antiliver
fibrosis. Further studies should focus on the structure modification of natural compound by computer-assisted drug
design, quality control by acceptable worldwide guidelines, and mechanisms of action, drug metabolism and translational
research.
