AUTHOR=Xu Jingqi , Shen Jiayan , Yuan Ruolan , Jia Bona , Zhang Yiwen , Wang Sijian , Zhang Yi , Liu Mengyang , Wang Tao TITLE=Mitochondrial Targeting Therapeutics: Promising Role of Natural Products in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology VOLUME=12 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.796207 DOI=10.3389/fphar.2021.796207 ISSN=1663-9812 ABSTRACT=

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, and its prevalence is still growing rapidly. However, the efficient therapies for this liver disease are still limited. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been proven to be closely associated with NAFLD. The mitochondrial injury caused reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and oxidative stress can aggravate the hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. which contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of NAFLD. Therefore, pharmacological therapies that target mitochondria could be a promising way for the NAFLD intervention. Recently, natural products targeting mitochondria have been extensively studied and have shown promising pharmacological activity. In this review, the recent research progress on therapeutic effects of natural-product-derived compounds that target mitochondria and combat NAFLD was summarized, aiming to provide new potential therapeutic lead compounds and reference for the innovative drug development and clinical treatment of NAFLD.