Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2024; 30(45): 4791-4800
Published online Dec 7, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i45.4791
Effect of Dendrobium nobile powder combined with conventional therapy on mild to moderate fatty liver
Xi Le, Yin Zhang, Mei Yang, Jie Li, Hao Wang, Jin-Lin Wu, Juan Deng, Hong-Min Zhang
Xi Le, Yin Zhang, Mei Yang, Juan Deng, Hong-Min Zhang, Department of Endocrinology, People’s Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area, Chongqing 400000, China
Jie Li, The Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics in the Ministry of Education and Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400000, China
Hao Wang, Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400000, China
Jin-Lin Wu, Department of Endocrinology, Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Chongqing 400000, China
Co-first authors: Xi Le and Yin Zhang.
Co-corresponding authors: Juan Deng and Hong-Min Zhang.
Author contributions: Le X and Zhang Y designed the research and wrote the first manuscript; Le X, Zhang Y, Yang M, Li J, Wang H, Wu JL, Deng J and Zhang HM contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; Le X and Zhang Y conducted the analysis and provided guidance for the research; All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Chongqing Science and Health Joint Medical Research Project, No. 2022MSXM133; and the First Batch of Key Disciplines on Public Health in Chongqing, Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, No. CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX1522.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of People’s Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area, No. 2022-11.
Informed consent statement: Due to the retrospective and de-identified nature of this study, written informed consent was waived.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hong-Min Zhang, MMed, Attending Doctor, Department of Endocrinology, People’s Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area, No. 199 Renxing Road, Renhe Street, Chongqing 400000, China. zhanghongmin0501@163.com
Received: September 6, 2024
Revised: October 23, 2024
Accepted: October 28, 2024
Published online: December 7, 2024
Processing time: 68 Days and 2.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a variety of liver conditions impacting individuals who consume minimal or no alcohol. Recently, traditional Chinese medicine has been gradually used to treat mild to moderate fatty liver, among which Dendrobium nobile Lindl. powder has been affirmed by many doctors and patients to be effective. However, there is limited research on combining this treatment with standard therapies for mild to moderate NAFLD.

AIM

To survey the effect of combining Dendrobium nobile Lindl. powder with standard treatment on liver function and lipid metabolism disorder in patients with mild to moderate NAFLD.

METHODS

Eighty patients with mild to moderate NAFLD participated in this retrospective study, classified into two groups: The observation group (n = 40) and the control group (n = 40). In November 2020 and November 2022, the study was conducted at People’s Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area. The control group received standard treatment, while the observation group received Dendrobium nobile Lindl. powder based on the control group. The study compared differences in traditional Chinese medicine clinical syndrome scores, liver fibrosis treatment, liver function indicators, lipid levels, and serum inflammatory factor levels before and after treatment, and we calculated the incidence of adverse reactions for both groups.

RESULTS

The total effective rate was 97.50% in the observation group and 72.5% in the control group. After 8 weeks of treatment, the main and secondary symptom scores remarkably decreased, especially in the observation group (P < 0.05), and there was a significant reduction in the serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), human rocollagen III (PC III), and collagen type IV (CIV). The levels of HA, LN, PC III, and CIV were significantly lower in the observation group (P < 0.05). After 8 weeks, both groups indicated remarkable improvements in liver function and blood lipid levels, with the observation group having even lower levels (P < 0.05). Serum levels of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-8 also dropped significantly. The observation group had a lower rate of adverse reactions (5.00%) compared to the control group (22.50%).

CONCLUSION

Adding Dendrobium nobile Lindl. powder to standard treatment has been found to remarkably improve symptoms and reduce inflammation in patients with mild to moderate fatty liver disease. It also enhances hepatic function and lipid profile, ameliorates liver fibrosis indices, and lowers the risk of side effects. Consequently, this therapeutic protocol shows promise for clinical implementation and dissemination.

Keywords: Dendrobium nobile Lindl. powder; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Combination treatment; Mild to moderate fatty liver; Liver function; Lipid metabolism disorder

Core Tip: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can progress to hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and eventually liver cancer, threatening patients’ health and well-being. Dendrobium nobile Lindl. is one of the classical and valuable traditional Chinese medicines in China, but its combined effect routine treatment on liver function and lipid metabolism in mild to moderate NAFLD has not been reported. Thus, this study aims to investigate its therapeutic effect and safety.