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Is it possible to treat nonalcoholic liver disease using a flavanol-based nutraceutical approach? Basic and clinical data

  • Isabel Hidalgo , Miguel Ortiz-Flores , Francisco Villarreal , Salvador Fonseca-Coronado , Guillermo Ceballos , Eduardo Meaney ORCID logo EMAIL logo and Nayelli Nájera ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: February 4, 2022
Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology
From the journal Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology Volume 33 Issue 6

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by a spectrum of diseases, ranging from simple steatosis to hepatocellular carcinoma. The main factors for NAFLD are closely related to obesity, insulin resistance, intestinal microbiota alterations, hyperinsulinism, low-grade systemic inflammation, nitroxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Currently, the treatment of NAFLD is based on diet and exercise because, to date, there is no specific pharmacological agent, already approved, that raises the need for new therapeutic strategies. Nutraceuticals, such as polyphenols, have potential beneficial effects for health. In this article, the beneficial effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and (−)-epicatechin (EC) are discussed. EGCG is the main catechin in green tea, which has shown in various studies its potential effect preventing and treating NAFLD since it has shown antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, antioxidant, and improvement of liver lipid metabolism. However, it has been found that excessive consumption may cause hepatotoxicity. EC is widely distributed in nature (fruits and vegetables). This flavanol has shown many beneficial effects, including antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, antithrombotic, and antifibrotic properties. It increases mitochondrial biogenesis, and it also has effects on the regulation of synthesis and metabolism of lipids. This flavanol is a nontoxic substance; it has been classified by the United States Food and Drug Administration as harmless. The EC-induced effects can be useful for the prevention and/or treatment of NAFLD.

Keywords: (−)-epicatechin; epigallocatechin-3-gallate; nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis; nutraceutical
Corresponding author: Nayelli Nájera and Eduardo Meaney, Laboratorio de investigación integral cardiometabólica, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CDMX, Mexico, Phone: +52 5557236300x62820, E-mail: (N. Nájera), (E. Meaney)

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. All authors participate in conception, design, analysis of data and writing, and revision of manuscript.

  3. Competing interests: Dr. Villarreal is a cofounder and stockholder (Dr. Ceballos) of Epirium Bio, Inc.

  4. Informed consent: No informed consent was necessary.

  5. Ethical approval: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.

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Received: 2021-09-20
Accepted: 2022-01-15
Published Online: 2022-02-04

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Minireview
  3. The effect of endurance, resistance training, and supplements on mitochondria and bioenergetics of muscle cells
  4. Reviews
  5. Cellular cross talk between epicardial fat and cardiovascular risk
  6. The physiological insight of Coenzyme-Q10 administration in preventing the incidence of reperfusion arrhythmia among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery
  7. Is it possible to treat nonalcoholic liver disease using a flavanol-based nutraceutical approach? Basic and clinical data
  8. An overview of post COVID sequelae
  9. Clinical implications of anti-idiotype antibodies in COVID-19
  10. Original Articles
  11. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels are associated with major depressive disorder
  12. Detection of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide in a rat model of aortic regurgitation: differential responses to omecamtiv mecarbil
  13. Preoperative monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio as a potential predictor of bladder cancer
  14. AICAR promotes endothelium-independent vasorelaxation by activating AMP-activated protein kinase via increased ZMP and decreased ATP/ADP ratio in aortic smooth muscle
  15. Moderate-intensity exercise decreases the circulating level of betatrophin and its correlation among markers of obesity in women
  16. Impact of muscle mass on blood glucose level
  17. Behavioral alterations, brain oxidative stress, and elevated levels of corticosterone associated with a pressure injury model in male mice
  18. Patterns of drug therapy, glycemic control, and predictors of escalation – non-escalation of treatment among diabetes outpatients at a tertiary care center
  19. Pattern, severity, and outcome of adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care hospital: an evidence from a cross-sectional study
https://doi.org/10.1515/jbcpp-2021-0285
Keywords for this article
(−)-epicatechin; epigallocatechin-3-gallate; nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis; nutraceutical

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Minireview
  3. The effect of endurance, resistance training, and supplements on mitochondria and bioenergetics of muscle cells
  4. Reviews
  5. Cellular cross talk between epicardial fat and cardiovascular risk
  6. The physiological insight of Coenzyme-Q10 administration in preventing the incidence of reperfusion arrhythmia among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery
  7. Is it possible to treat nonalcoholic liver disease using a flavanol-based nutraceutical approach? Basic and clinical data
  8. An overview of post COVID sequelae
  9. Clinical implications of anti-idiotype antibodies in COVID-19
  10. Original Articles
  11. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels are associated with major depressive disorder
  12. Detection of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide in a rat model of aortic regurgitation: differential responses to omecamtiv mecarbil
  13. Preoperative monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio as a potential predictor of bladder cancer
  14. AICAR promotes endothelium-independent vasorelaxation by activating AMP-activated protein kinase via increased ZMP and decreased ATP/ADP ratio in aortic smooth muscle
  15. Moderate-intensity exercise decreases the circulating level of betatrophin and its correlation among markers of obesity in women
  16. Impact of muscle mass on blood glucose level
  17. Behavioral alterations, brain oxidative stress, and elevated levels of corticosterone associated with a pressure injury model in male mice
  18. Patterns of drug therapy, glycemic control, and predictors of escalation – non-escalation of treatment among diabetes outpatients at a tertiary care center
  19. Pattern, severity, and outcome of adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care hospital: an evidence from a cross-sectional study
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