Table 3.
Studies on therapeutic agents used in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
| Intervention | Model | Findings | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tryptophan supplementation | Animal | Increased occludin concentrations and reduced ratios liver weight/body weight | [57] |
| Glutamine supplementation | Animal | Reduced oxidative stress in the liver, inhibition of the expression of p65 NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells), and hepatic steatosis improvement | [58] |
| l-carnitine supplementation | Animal | Prevention of NAFLD progression through upregulation of mitochondrial β-oxidation and the redox system | [59] |
| Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation | Human | Improvement of hepatic steatosis in children with NAFLD. Doses of 250 and 500 mg/day appear to be equally effective in reducing liver fat content | [64] |
| Niacin supplementation | Animal | Decreased liver fat content, liver weight, liver oxidative products, and prevention of fatty liver. Inhibition of mRNA and protein expression and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activity. No effects on mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), acetylCoA carboxylase 1 (ACC-1), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and carnitinepalmitoil transferase 1 (CPT-1) | [67] |
| Vitamin E supplementation | Animal | Vitamin E combined with exercise exert hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects in the presence of an atherogenic diet | [70] |
| VSL mixture (Streptococcus, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus) | Animal | Reduction in total fatty acid content in the liver and in hepatic inflammation, with improvement of hepatic insulin sensitivity | [82] |
| Probiotic treatment | Animal | Down-regulation of the activity of the transcription factor NF-κB | [83] |
| Lactobacillus rhamnosus treatment | Animal | Attenuation of fat accumulation in the liver and in the concentration of portal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) | [86] |
| Lactobacillus casein cepa Shirota treatment | Animal | Suppression in NASH development, reduced serum concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), inhibition of liver inflammation or fibrosis, and diminished inflammation of the colon | [87] |
| Supplementation with synbiotic, probiotic and prebiotic cultures along with recommendations on healthy lifestyles | Human | The synbiotic supplementation combined with changes in lifestyle is greater than just changes in lifestyle alone for the treatment of NASH | [78] |
| Resveratrol supplementation | Human | Resveratrol supplementation together with changes in lifestyle is more effective than just changes in lifestyle alone. This is at least partially due to attenuation of inflammatory markers and hepatocellular apoptosis | [100] |
| Resveratrol supplementation | Animal | Improvement in lipid metabolism and decreased the pro-inflammatory profile of NAFLD in the liver of mice with diet-induced obesity | [101] |
| Green tea extract | Animal | Higher glutathione levels, lower protein and mRNA contents of inflammatory cytokines, and lower DNA binding activity of NF-κB in liver and adipose tissue of mice supplemented with a green tea extract 2% | [46] |
| Quercetin treatment | Animal | Total or partial prevention of hepatic steatosis, inflammatory cell accumulation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis caused by the a methionine-choline deficient (MCD) | [51] |
| Proanthocyanidins from grape seed (GSP) plus metformin | Animal | Improvement of lipid metabolism, but the effects were not additive to normalize lipid levels | [110] |
| Review of interventions with anthocyanidins (ACNs) in NAFLD patients | Human | Foods rich in ACNs may be promising for prevention of NAFLD and its complications. However, further studies are required | [111] |
| Seed tamarindus indica | Animal | Intervention has a therapeutic potential against NAFLD, acting in part through insulin sensitization, antioxidant, and anti-obesity mechanisms | [52] |
| Ostol treatment | Animal | Decreased intrahepatic fat content and in the expression of SREBP-1c, FAS and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), with increased expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPAR-α) | [119] |
| Sapindus alcohol extract mukorossi Gaertn supplementation | Animal | Regulation of the level of blood fat and improvement in the pathological changes in liver tissue in a rat model of NAFLD | [120] |
| Sasa borealis (SBS) supplementation | Animal | Improvement in cholesterol metabolism, decreased lipogenesis, and increased oxidation of lipids in rats with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis | [121] |