A Comparative Study on the Mechanisms and Therapeutic Efficacy of Common Natural Products and Their Derivatives in the Treating Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatohepatitis

Yuhang Liu

doi:10.6911/WSRJ.202609_12(9).0008

Authors

Yuhang Liu School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6911/WSRJ.202609_12(9).0008

Keywords:

Metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis; MASH; natural products; derivatives.

Abstract

MASH is a chronic liver disease with high global prevalence, which has become a major driver of cirrhosis and liver cancer. This study addresses the limitation that most existing research focuses on individual compounds, so four natural products, which are curcumin, silybin, tanshinone IIA, and Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP), were selected based on their extensive documentation and structural diversity. The main goal was to systematically compare their mechanisms of action and clinical effectiveness against MASH. Peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2026 were systematically retrieved and screened according to predefined quality criteria to build an evaluation framework. Then, the analysis examined four main areas: lipid regulation, anti-inflammation, antioxidant activity, and anti-fibrosis work. Data synthesis was performed through systematic cross-comparison of included studies. The results show that the curcumin phospholipid complex called Meriva is the most promising candidate. We put forward a few different combination treatment plans because their individual ways of working might complement each other and make the total effect better than any single one. By doing all of this work, it fills a gap that existed in past systematic studies of natural products for MASH and a scientific basis for precision medicine and drug development is provided.

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References

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