[Possibilities and limitations of drugs to protect the liver].

In this paper preventive liver protective agents for the prophylaxis of hepatopathies due to functional stress, and curative protective agents for therapy of existing liver damage are distinguished. Preventive liver protective agents are key substances in the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and sulfur. For curative liver protective agents, inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis, calcium antagonists and inhibitors of sulfhydryl (-SH) containing enzymes are proposed and substantiated.