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Role of ellagic acid for the prevention and treatment of liver diseases
Author(s) -
Aishwarya Venkatasubramanian,
Solaipriya Solairaja,
Sivaramakrishnan Venkatabalasubramanian
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.7001
Subject(s) - ellagic acid , liver disease , hepatic stellate cell , medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , liver cancer , alcoholic liver disease , pharmacology , immunology , proinflammatory cytokine , immune system , antioxidant , cancer research , biology , pathology , biochemistry , inflammation , cirrhosis , polyphenol
Globally, one of the alarming problems is the prevalence and burden of liver diseases, which accounts for 2 million cases per year. Chronic liver aetiologies such as hepatitis infections, alcoholic or non‐alcoholic liver disease, environmental agents, and drug‐induced toxicity are invariably responsible for liver fibrosis progression to finally hepatocellular carcinoma. Current treatment options are unable to overwhelm and cure liver diseases. Emerging findings suggest researchers' interest in using evidence‐based complementary medicine such as ellagic acid with extensive pharmacological properties. They include antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐hyperlipidaemic, anti‐viral, anti‐angiogenic, and anticancer activity. The molecular functions elicited by ellagic acid include scavenging of free radicals, regulation of lipid metabolism, the prohibition of fibrogenesis response‐mediating proteins, inhibits hepatic stellate cells and myofibroblasts, restrains hepatic viral replication, facilitates suppression of growth factors, regulates transcription factors, proinflammatory cytokines, augments the liver immune response, fosters apoptosis and inhibits cell proliferation in tumorigenic cells. This review will most notably focus on preclinical and clinical information based on currently available evidence to warrant ellagic acid's prospective role in preventing liver diseases.