Danshao Shugan Granule therapy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Lipids Health Dis. 2022 Aug 23;21(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s12944-022-01689-9.

Abstract

Background: Danshao Shugan Granules (DSSG), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is given to protect the liver. The objective is to evaluate the mechanisms of the effects of DSSG on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: 260 patients with NAFLD were randomly allocated to positive control drugs rosiglitazone (n = 30) and Silibinin (n = 50) as well as DSSG (n = 130) and combined DSSG/Silibinin (n = 50) groups, from which 90 patients in the DSSG group were further subdivided into 3 groups (n = 30, each) depending on the severity of symptoms. In total 33 Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to normal (n = 10) or 45% high-fat diet (n = 23) groups, from which 9 rats served as negative controls, 10 as model controls and 10 were treated with DSSG.

Results: DSSG medications had significantly highest effects on B-ultrasonography finding improvements, and reductions of total cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartate transaminase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in NAFLD patients. Silibinin application only led to significantly highest alanine transaminase reductions and rosiglitazone medication to significantly highest fasting plasma glucose reductions. In a murine in vivo NAFLD model glucose (GLU), total cholesterol (TC) triacylglycerol (TG) as well as glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) serum concentrations were all significantly reduced (P < 0.001) and the expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF‑κB) was significantly decreased in DSSG treated compared to untreated NAFLD animals (P < 0.001). In addition, the DSSG treated rats exhibited increased superoxide dismutase activity and reduced malondialdehyde values.

Conclusions: DSSG was effective for treating NAFLD patients, which could be attributed to increased activity of superoxide dismutase, a decrease of malondialdehyde as well as reduced NF‑κB activity in a NAFLD rat model.

Keywords: Danshao Shugan Granules (DSSG); NF-кB; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); Silibinin; Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Alanine Transaminase
  • Animals
  • Aspartate Aminotransferases
  • Cholesterol
  • Humans
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Malondialdehyde / metabolism
  • Medicine, Chinese Traditional
  • Mice
  • NF-kappa B / genetics
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Rosiglitazone / pharmacology
  • Rosiglitazone / therapeutic use
  • Silybin / metabolism
  • Silybin / pharmacology
  • Silybin / therapeutic use
  • Superoxide Dismutase / metabolism
  • Triglycerides

Substances

  • Alanine Transaminase
  • Aspartate Aminotransferases
  • Cholesterol
  • Malondialdehyde
  • NF-kappa B
  • Rosiglitazone
  • Silybin
  • Superoxide Dismutase
  • Triglycerides