A three-year review (2023–2025) on the effectiveness of natural products from plants in treating major types of fibrosis

IF 8.3 1区医学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL

Phytomedicine Pub Date : 2025-09-08 DOI:10.1016/j.phymed.2025.157242

Jason B.T. Kuete , Jenifer R.N. Kuete , Armelle T. Mbaveng , Victor Kuete , Thomas Efferth , Ralf Weiskirchen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Fibrosis, or fibrotic scarring, is the body’s response to injury that leads to the formation of fibrous connective tissue. It impacts various illnesses and can contribute to mortality. Currently, there are no effective treatments targeting the release of extracellular matrix (ECM) from fibroblasts, highlighting the urgent need for new therapies. Medicinal plants and their derivatives may offer a promising alternative for treating fibrosis.

Purpose

This review aims to summarize the findings from reports published between 2023 and 2025 on the role of natural substances derived from plants in the treatment of four major types of fibrosis: myocardial fibrosis (MF), liver fibrosis (LF), pulmonary fibrosis (PF), and renal fibrosis (RF).

Methods

Data were sourced from PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Scopus using terms related to fibrosis, such as "diagnosis," "treatment," "plant extracts," and "phytochemicals." Information on antifibrotic plant extracts and formulations from 2023 to 2025 was compiled.

Results

This review presents essential information on four main types of fibrosis and documents 72 botanicals. These consist of 28 individual plants studied separately and 44 combined herbal formulations. The botanicals are categorized according to the different types of fibrosis: 21 for LF, 8 for MF, 23 for PF, and 20 for RF. The review provides detailed information on 10 polyherbal formulations, which include: Guizhi Fuling Wan (GFW), Jiawei Taohe Chengqi decoction (JTCD), Longdan Xiegan Tang (LXT), and Tao-Hong-Si-Wu-Tang (THSWT) for LF; Linggui Zhugan decoction (LGZGD) and Qili Qiangxin (QLQX) for MF; Sha-Shen Mai-Dong (SMT) and Xuanfei Baidu decoction (XFBD) for PF; and Huangqi-Danshen (HDD) and Jian-Pi-Yi-Shen (JPYS) for RF. Additionally, the document lists 35 phytochemicals, which include 19 terpenoids and 16 phenolic compounds.

Conclusion

This work highlights that, over the past three years, numerous scientific publications have underscored the importance of medicinal plants in treating various types of fibrosis globally. To improve the management of fibrosis, it is essential to conduct both preclinical and clinical studies on these promising samples to identify potential drug candidates.

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一项为期三年（2023-2025）的关于植物天然产物治疗主要纤维化类型有效性的综述。

背景：纤维化或纤维化瘢痕是机体对损伤的反应，导致纤维结缔组织的形成。它会影响各种疾病，并可能导致死亡。目前，尚无针对成纤维细胞释放细胞外基质（ECM）的有效治疗方法，迫切需要新的治疗方法。药用植物及其衍生物可能为治疗纤维化提供一种有希望的替代方法。目的：本综述旨在总结2023年至2025年间发表的关于植物来源的天然物质在治疗四种主要纤维化类型中的作用的研究结果：心肌纤维化（MF）、肝纤维化（LF）、肺纤维化（PF）和肾纤维化（RF）。方法：数据来源于PubMed、谷歌Scholar、ScienceDirect和Scopus，使用与纤维化相关的术语，如“诊断”、“治疗”、“植物提取物”和“植物化学物质”。汇编了2023年至2025年抗纤维化植物提取物和配方的信息。结果：本文综述了四种主要类型纤维化的基本信息，并记录了72种植物。这些包括28种单独研究的植物和44种组合草药配方。这些植物药根据不同的纤维化类型分类：21种用于LF， 8种用于MF， 23种用于PF， 20种用于RF。综述了10种中药复方，包括桂枝茯苓丸（GFW）、加味桃河承气汤（JTCD）、龙胆泻肝汤（LXT）、桃红四物汤（THSWT）；灵桂竹肝汤联合七厘强心治疗MF；沙参脉冬（SMT）联合宣肺b百度汤（XFBD）治疗PF；RF为黄芪-丹参（HDD）和健比-益参（JPYS）。此外，该文件列出了35种植物化学物质，其中包括19种萜类化合物和16种酚类化合物。结论：这项工作强调，在过去的三年中，许多科学出版物都强调了药用植物在全球治疗各种类型纤维化中的重要性。为了改善纤维化的管理，必须对这些有希望的样本进行临床前和临床研究，以确定潜在的候选药物。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Phytomedicine 医学-药学

CiteScore

10.30

自引率

5.10%

发文量

670

审稿时长

91 days

期刊介绍： Phytomedicine is a therapy-oriented journal that publishes innovative studies on the efficacy, safety, quality, and mechanisms of action of specified plant extracts, phytopharmaceuticals, and their isolated constituents. This includes clinical, pharmacological, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological studies of herbal medicinal products, preparations, and purified compounds with defined and consistent quality, ensuring reproducible pharmacological activity. Founded in 1994, Phytomedicine aims to focus and stimulate research in this field and establish internationally accepted scientific standards for pharmacological studies, proof of clinical efficacy, and safety of phytomedicines.