Natural Products as a Source for Antifibrosis Therapy

• Published in: Trends in pharmacological sciences (Regular ed.) Vol. 39; no. 11; pp. 937 - 952
• Main Authors: Chen, Dan-Qian, Feng, Ya-Long, Cao, Gang, Zhao, Ying-Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2018
• Subjects: fibrosis; hedgehog; interleukin; natural products; PPARγ; Wnt/β-catenin; natural products; fibrosis; hedgehog; interleukin; Wnt/β-catenin; PPARγ
• ISSN: 0165-6147; 1873-3735
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2018.09.002

Although fibrosis is a final pathological feature of many chronic diseases, few interventions are available that specifically target the pathogenesis of fibrosis. Natural products are becoming increasingly recognized as effective therapies for fibrosis. The highlights of common cellular and molecular mechanisms of fibrosis facilitate the discovery of effective antifibrotic drugs. We describe some new profibrotic mechanisms and corresponding therapeutic targets using natural products. Interleukin, ephrin-B2, Gas6/TAM, Wnt/β-catenin, hedgehog pathway, PPARγ, lysophosphatidic acid, and CTGF are promising therapeutic targets. Natural products can target these mediators and inhibit chronic inflammation, myofibroblast activation, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and extracellular matrix accumulation to alleviate fibrosis. Of note, natural products have the potential to inhibit fibrosis in one organ, simultaneously targeting fibrosis in multiple other organs, which provides us new strategies to find antifibrotic drugs. Fibrosis is a final pathological feature of many chronic diseases and available interventions specifically targeting the pathogenesis of fibrosis are lacking; natural products can solve this issue. Fibrosis develops from chronic inflammation, myofibroblast activation to EMT, and ECM accumulation, all of which can be blocked by natural products. The investigation of the pathogenesis of fibrosis indicates that interleukin, Gas6/TAM, Wnt/β-catenin, hedgehog pathway, ephrin-B2, PPARγ, lysophosphatidic acid, and CTGF are promising therapeutic targets. Natural products can target these mediators or pathways to alleviate fibrosis. Natural products have the potential to inhibit fibrosis in one organ, simultaneously targeting fibrosis in multiple other organs, which provide us new strategies to find antifibrotic drugs. The lack of well-designed randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials and safety hinder the development and application of natural products against fibrosis in clinics.