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Topic: Natural Products and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Effects of natural compounds in treatment and prevention of
Effects of natural compounds in treatment and prevention of
hepatotoxicity and hepatocellular carcinoma
hepatotoxicity and hepatocellular carcinoma

Mohamed A. Hamzawy , Ezzeldein S. M. El-Denshary , Mosaad A. Abdel-Wahhab 3
2
1
1 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Misr University for Science and Technology,
6th of October City 15525, Egypt
2 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
3 Department of Food Toxicology and Contaminants, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt

ABSTRACT
Liver diseases are most common disorders in the world and characterized by rapid changes from steatosis to chronic
hepatitis, fi brosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Natural products that attained great attention is to be used
in the prevention and treatment of multiple diseases in humans. Several researches have been reported numerous natural
and phytochemical compounds that may counteract or prevent the hepatic injury and primary liver cancer. The conservative
treatment of liver toxicity and HCC may face awkward challenges in chemotherapy such as therapeutic failure or drug
resistance. Accordingly, there is an actual need for safe and effective therapeutic and preventive modalities for liver disorders.
The present review aims to focus on the potential protective and therapeutic effects of natural compounds in the prevention
and treatment of hepatotoxicity and HCC. It also demonstrates the mechanism of the natural products in enzymatic regulation
of antioxidants and its role in apoptosis and proliferation of cancerous lesions of hepatocytes. Accordingly, it highlights the
promising role of natural bioactive compounds and provides the rational for further transitional researches, and emphasize
on the scientifi c validation of natural compounds for therapeutic portfolio for clinical use in liver diseases.

Key words: Antioxidant; hepatocellular carcinoma; hepatotoxicity; liver; natural compounds

Address for correspondence:
Prof. Mohamed A. Hamzawy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Misr University for Science and Technology,
P.O. Box: 77, 6th of October City 15525, Egypt. E-mail: hamzawymohamed@gmail.com
Received: 20-07-2015, Accepted: 23-09-2015

INTRODUCTION The major target strategy in the treatment of liver diseases
is to terminate the serial consequences at the pre-fibrotic
Chronic liver diseases are common worldwide disorders stage of the liver. To date, modern medicines have little
[4]
characterized by bad sequels started with steatosis to chronic to offer for alleviation of hepatic diseases. However,
hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). natural-based preparations are successfully employed for
[1,2]
Indeed, HCC is the fifth most commonly leading cancer, the major the treatment of liver disorders. Accordingly, there is an
[5]
cause of death in patients with liver cirrhosis, and the second increased attention in natural products that may counteract
common cause of cancer-related death in the world. [3]

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DOI: How to cite this article: Hamzawy MA, El-Denshary ES, Abdel-Wahhab MA.
10.4103/2394-5079.167378 Effects of natural compounds in treatment and prevention of hepatotoxicity
and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatoma Res 2015;1:111-8.

© 2015 Hepatoma Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 111