Review
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World J Hepatol. Apr 27, 2014; 6(4): 188-198
Published online Apr 27, 2014. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v6.i4.188
Effects of resveratrol in experimental and clinical non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Sara Heebøll, Karen Louise Thomsen, Steen B Pedersen, Hendrik Vilstrup, Jacob George, Henning Grønbæk
Sara Heebøll, Karen Louise Thomsen, Hendrik Vilstrup, Henning Grønbæk, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Steen B Pedersen, Department of Endocrinology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Jacob George, Storr Liver Unit, Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
Author contributions: Heebøll S searched the literature; Heebøll S and Grønbæk H prepared the manuscript; the remaining authors revised the manuscript and gave intellectual and editorial input; all authors approved the final version of submitted manuscript.
Supported by Aarhus University and the Danish Council for Independent Research, Medical Sciences, No. 11-107912; The Danish Strategic Research Council has supported the LIRMOI study on RSV effects in NAFLD and metabolic diseases, No. 10-093499; The NOVO Nordisk Foundation has supported Grønbæk H by a research grant; George J was supported by the Robert W; Storr Bequest to the Sydney Medical; Foundation, University of Sydney; a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) Program Grant No. 1053206 and Project grants 632630 and 1049857
Correspondence to: Henning Grønbæk, MD, PhD, Professor of Experimental Hepatology, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. henning.gronbaek@aarhus.rm.dk
Telephone: +45-7846-1546   Fax: +45-7846-2860
Received: October 30, 2013
Revised: January 22, 2014
Accepted: February 20, 2014
Published online: April 27, 2014
Processing time: 201 Days and 17.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: The prevalence of obesity and related conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing. Therapeutic options are limited and alternative treatment options are sought after. An interesting candidate is resveratrol (RSV), a known AMP-activated protein kinase and silent information regulation-2 homolog 1 activator with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we review the current evidence for RSV-mediated effects and address the different aspects of NAFLD and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis pathogenesis. We review the in vivo evidence from animal studies and clinical trials. Uniformly, animal studies report a decrease in hepatic triglyceride accumulation and improvements in histological fatty liver changes, whereas results from the few clinical trials are equivocal.