REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.

Sec. Ethnopharmacology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1610498

This article is part of the Research TopicMetabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD): Innovative Management strategies using Herbal MedicinesView all 5 articles

Targeting the gut microbiota and lipid metabolism: potential mechanisms of natural products for the treatment of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Provisionally accepted
Yutian  ZhangYutian Zhang1Tianlin  WangTianlin Wang2Junquan  HanJunquan Han3Jielin  SongJielin Song1Chaoshuai  YangChaoshuai Yang3Lei  LiangLei Liang1Huizhen  LiHuizhen Li2*红  王红 王3*
  • 1Graduate School of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
  • 2Department of Gastroenterology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, Hebei, China
  • 3Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, Hebei, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic progressive liver disease with overnutrition and insulin resistance (IR) as the main etiologic factors. Hepatic lipid accumulation is a central factor contributing to this cascade of changes. Consequently, therapeutic interventions that target hepatic lipid metabolism and inflammatory response pathways hold considerable promise for the treatment of NAFLD. Furthermore, there is a close link between the gut microbiota (GM) and host health. GM and its metabolites can rely on multiple complex pathways to be deeply involved in the occurrence and development of NAFLD, which is associated with a variety of mechanisms. This makes it difficult to achieve satisfactory therapeutic efficacy of drugs targeting a single specific mechanism. In this context, natural products have the advantage of intervening in multiple targets and high safety. Consequently, an increasing number of researchers are considering natural products as a potential breakthrough point for the treatment of NAFLD. Notably, natural products influence intestinal mucosal permeability and metabolite production by regulating the abundance of beneficial flora in GM, which in turn regulates lipid metabolism to reduce hepatic steatosis and inhibit the progression of NAFLD. This paper reviews the research progress of natural products intervening in NAFLD through GM and its metabolites and lipid metabolism that has emerged in recent years, aiming to provide a basis for future natural product interventions in NAFLD.

Keywords: Gut Microbiota, Lipid Metabolism, Natural Products, NAFLD, Probiotics

Received: 12 Apr 2025; Accepted: 27 May 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Wang, Han, Song, Yang, Liang, Li and 王. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Huizhen Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, Hebei, China
红 王, Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, Hebei, China

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