About this Research Topic
The liver is the largest organ of the human body and plays a key role in the regulation of several physiological functions, including energy production, nutrient deposition, bile acid synthesis, xenobiotic detoxification, and immune control. The unique metabolic function of the liver makes it an important target of xenobiotic toxicity and consequent health risks. Moreover, limited treatment options are available for the management of liver damage and hepatotoxicity; therefore, searching for new treatment options is an urgent need.
In the last years, herbal products have become increasingly popular and some of them have been found to possess hepatoprotective properties in preclinical studies acting through several mechanisms (e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory). Natural products, such as silymarin and glycyrrhizin, also showed promising results in clinical trials in the treatment of liver diseases such as NASH. On the other hand, the increased number of cases associated with hepatotoxicity in the use of herbal supplements (e.g. Camellia sinensis, Curcuma longa, Garcinia cambogia) for healing purposes, were in some cases severe enough to require transplantation or cause death, raising concerns on the safe use of botanicals. In line with this evidence, the aim of the present Research Topic is to determine whether botanicals can play a dual role in liver health, acting as hepatoprotectives or as hepatotoxins.
Both full length and short research communications, as well as opinions and review articles dealing with experimental or clinical pharmacology of herbal products and highlighting their potential usefulness to manage liver diseases or their potential to induce liver injuries can be considered for the present Research Topic.
In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- In vitro and/or in vivo studies investigating the hepatoprotective properties of botanicals against hepatotoxins
- Botanicals usefulness in liver diseases (e.g. cirrhosis, cholestasis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver diseases, liver cancer)
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in botanical hepatoprotection and hepatotoxicity
- Clinical studies investigating both hepatoprotective and hepatotoxic botanicals
- Liver damage raising from herb-drug interactions
Other themes that fit the purpose of the Research Topic can be proposed by Authors.
Medicinal plants and/or herbal extracts should be well-characterized in their composition.
In the last years, herbal products have become increasingly popular and some of them have been found to possess hepatoprotective properties in preclinical studies acting through several mechanisms (e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory). Natural products, such as silymarin and glycyrrhizin, also showed promising results in clinical trials in the treatment of liver diseases such as NASH. On the other hand, the increased number of cases associated with hepatotoxicity in the use of herbal supplements (e.g. Camellia sinensis, Curcuma longa, Garcinia cambogia) for healing purposes, were in some cases severe enough to require transplantation or cause death, raising concerns on the safe use of botanicals. In line with this evidence, the aim of the present Research Topic is to determine whether botanicals can play a dual role in liver health, acting as hepatoprotectives or as hepatotoxins.
Both full length and short research communications, as well as opinions and review articles dealing with experimental or clinical pharmacology of herbal products and highlighting their potential usefulness to manage liver diseases or their potential to induce liver injuries can be considered for the present Research Topic.
In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- In vitro and/or in vivo studies investigating the hepatoprotective properties of botanicals against hepatotoxins
- Botanicals usefulness in liver diseases (e.g. cirrhosis, cholestasis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver diseases, liver cancer)
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in botanical hepatoprotection and hepatotoxicity
- Clinical studies investigating both hepatoprotective and hepatotoxic botanicals
- Liver damage raising from herb-drug interactions
Other themes that fit the purpose of the Research Topic can be proposed by Authors.
Medicinal plants and/or herbal extracts should be well-characterized in their composition.
Keywords: Botanicals, medicinal plants, hepatoprotection, hepatotoxicity, herb-induced liver injury
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
