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Review
. 2021 Jan 25;10(2):228.
doi: 10.3390/plants10020228.

Summary of Natural Products Ameliorate Concanavalin A-Induced Liver Injury: Structures, Sources, Pharmacological Effects, and Mechanisms of Action

Sabrin R M Ibrahim  1 , Alaa Sirwi  2 , Basma G Eid  3 , Shaimaa G A Mohamed  4 , Gamal A Mohamed  2   5
Affiliations
Review

Summary of Natural Products Ameliorate Concanavalin A-Induced Liver Injury: Structures, Sources, Pharmacological Effects, and Mechanisms of Action

Sabrin R M Ibrahim et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Liver diseases represent a threat to human health and are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a progressive and chronic hepatic inflammatory disease, which may lead to severe complications. Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced hepatic injury is regarded as an appropriate experimental model for investigating the pathology and mechanisms involved in liver injury mediated by immune cells as well as T cell-related liver disease. Despite the advances in modern medicine, the only available strategies to treat AIH, include the use of steroids either solely or with immunosuppressant drugs. Unfortunately, this currently available treatment is associated with significant side-effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need for safe and effective drugs to replace and/or supplement those in current use. Natural products have been utilized for treating liver disorders and have become a promising therapy for various liver disorders. In this review, the natural compounds and herbal formulations as well as extracts and/or fractions with protection against liver injury caused by Con A and the underlying possible mechanism(s) of action are reviewed. A total of 53 compounds from different structural classes are discussed and over 97 references are cited. The goal of this review is to attract the interest of pharmacologists, natural product researchers, and synthetic chemists for discovering novel drug candidates for treating immune-mediated liver injury.

Keywords: autoimmune hepatitis; concanavalin A; drug discovery; inflammation; liver diseases; mechanism of action; natural products.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of concanavalin A (Con A) on the molecular level in Con A-induced hepatotoxicity. NF-kB: Nuclear factor-kappa B; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; TGF-B: Transforming growth factor B; MAPK: Mitogen-activated protein kinase; Stat3: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; p-AKT: Phospho-protein kinase B; PI3K: Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor α.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of alkaloids.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of alkaloids.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structures of alkaloids.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structures of terpenes.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chemical structures of terpenes.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Chemical structures of terpenes and sterols.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Chemical structures of phenolics.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Chemical structures of phenolics.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Chemical structures of coumarin and coumarin derivatives.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Chemical structures of coumarin and coumarin derivatives.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Chemical structures of other compounds.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Summary of the hepato-protective mechanisms of natural compounds against Con A-induced hepatotoxicity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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