Recent Progress on Anti-Liver Fibrosis Candidates in Patents of Herbal Medicinal Products

Liver fibrosis is a common cause of chronic failure of liver function, which is characterized by extracellular matrix accumulation and disruption of normal tissue architecture. Liver fibrosis-dependent mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis have drawn much attention. Herbal medicines are one of the strategies against liver fibrosis and a way to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herbal medicines are usually used as official drugs in China, Japan and other parts of Asia. In this review, we retrieved and summarized current progress of anti-liver fibrosis candidates in USA, European and worldwide patents of herbal medicines in recent ten years. The pure compounds, fractions in single herbs and composite formulae were analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that herbal medicinal products can have potential on antiliver fibrosis. Further studies should focus on the structure modification of natural compound by computer-assisted drug design, quality control by acceptable worldwide guidelines, and mechanisms of action, drug metabolism and translational research.