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World J Hepatol. Oct 27, 2023; 15(10): 1091-1108
Published online Oct 27, 2023. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i10.1091
Progress on traditional Chinese medicine in improving hepatic fibrosis through inhibiting oxidative stress
Zhen Li, Jun-Feng Zhu, Hao Ouyang
Zhen Li, Jun-Feng Zhu, Hao Ouyang, Department of Liver, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Jun-Feng Zhu, Department of Liver, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Author contributions: Zhu JF and Li Z designed the study; Li Z searched, analyzed, and, and summarized the literature results; Li Z and Ouyang H collected the data and wrote the manuscript; Zhu JF and Li Z checked and revised the article; all authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Supported by the Construction Project of Traditional Chinese Medicine Specialty in Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine; Preclinical Study of a New Chinese Herbal Medicine for the Treatment of Ascites of Liver Cirrhosis (Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency Type) with the Clinical Formula of Qigui Xiaogu Cataplasm, No. 23S21900100; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82074386; Clinical Research Plan of SHDC, No. SHDC2020CR3095B; and Construction of Special Disease Alliance of Traditional Chinese Medicine in East China Area and Municipal Level, Shanghai Special Disease Alliance of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Liver Cirrhosis Ascites (Water Sickness).
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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: Jun-Feng Zhu, Doctor, PhD, Chief Physician, Full Professor, Department of Liver, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 110 Ganhe Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 201203, China. zhujftongling@163.com
Received: June 26, 2023
Peer-review started: June 26, 2023
First decision: August 16, 2023
Revised: August 26, 2023
Accepted: September 19, 2023
Article in press: September 19, 2023
Published online: October 27, 2023
Processing time: 119 Days and 17.7 Hours
Abstract

Hepatic fibrosis is a common pathological process that occurs in the development of various chronic liver diseases into cirrhosis and liver cancer, characterized by excessive deposition of the extracellular matrix. In the past, hepatic fibrosis was thought to be a static and irreversible pathological process. In recent years, with the rapid development of molecular biology and the continuous in-depth study of the liver at the microscopic level, more and more evidence has shown that hepatic fibrosis is a dynamic and reversible process. Therefore, it is particularly important to find an effective, simple, and inexpensive method for its prevention and treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) occupies an important position in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis due to its advantages of low adverse reactions, low cost, and multi-target effectiveness. A large number of research results have shown that TCM monomers, single herbal extracts, and TCM formulas play important roles in the prevention and treatment of hepatic fibrosis. Oxidative stress (OS) is one of the key factors in the occurrence and development of hepatic fibrosis. Therefore, this article reviews the progress in the understanding of the mechanisms of TCM monomers, single herbal extracts, and TCM formulas in preventing and treating hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting OS in recent years, in order to provide a reference and basis for drug therapy of hepatic fibrosis.

Keywords: Hepatic fibrosis; Oxidative stress; Traditional Chinese medicine monomer; Single herbal extract; Traditional Chinese medicine formula

Core Tip: Hepatic fibrosis is a common pathological process that occurs in the development of various chronic liver diseases into cirrhosis and liver cancer, characterized by excessive deposition of the extracellular matrix. This article reviews the progress in the understanding of the mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomers, single herbal extracts, and TCM formulas in preventing and treating hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting oxidative stress in recent years, in order to provide a reference and basis for drug therapy of hepatic fibrosis.