Niuchangchih ( Antrodia camphorata) and its potential in treating liver diseases

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 121; no. 2; pp. 194 - 212
• Main Authors: Ao, Zong-Hua, Xu, Zheng-Hong, Lu, Zhen-Ming, Xu, Hong-Yu, Zhang, Xiao-Mei, Dou, Wen-Fang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.01.2009; Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; anti-inflammatory activity; anticarcinogenic activity; antihypertensive effect; antioxidant activity; Antrodia - chemistry; Antrodia camphorata; Basidiomycetes; Biological and medical sciences; chemical constituents of plants; Culture Media; Disease Models, Animal; Fatty liver; fruiting bodies; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal - chemistry; General pharmacology; HBV; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B virus; hepatoprotective effect; Humans; immunomodulators; literature reviews; Liver cancer; liver diseases; Liver Diseases - drug therapy; Liver fibrosis; maleic acid; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Niuchangchih; Oriental traditional medicine; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polyporales; polysaccharides; steroids; succinic acid; Taiwan; triterpenoids; Asia; China; Taiwan; Hepatitis; Liver cancer; Fatty liver; Niuchangchih; Liver fibrosis; Antrodia camphorata; HBV; Hepatic fibrosis; Pharmacognosy; Orthohepadnavirus; Hepatic disease; Malignant tumor; Basidiomycota; Medicinal plant; Fungi; Virus; Folk medicine; Hepadnaviridae; Plant origin; Digestive diseases; Hepatitis B virus; Cancer
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2008.10.039

Niuchangchih ( Antrodia camphorata (M. Zang & C.H. Su) Sheng H. Wu, Ryvarden & T.T. Chang) is a basidiomycete endemic to Taiwan. It is well known as a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and Taiwanese aborigines used this species to treat liver diseases and food and drug intoxication. The compounds identified in Niuchangchih are predominantly polysaccharides, triterpenoids, steroids, benzenoids and maleic/succinic acid derivatives. Recent research has revealed that Niuchangchih possesses extensive biological activity, such as hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, anti-hyperlipidemic, immuno-modulatory, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The fruiting bodies and fermented products of Niuchangchih have been reported to exhibit activity when treating liver diseases, such as preventing ethanol-, CCl 4- and cytokine-induced liver injury, inhibiting the hepatitis B virus, ameliorating fatty liver and liver fibrosis, and inhibiting liver cancer cells. This review will address the protective effects of Niuchangchih on the pathological development of liver diseases, and the underlying mechanisms of action are also discussed.