Potential Roles and Key Mechanisms of Hawthorn Extract against Various Liver Diseases

The genus Crataegus (hawthorn), a flowering shrub or tree, is a member of the Rosaceae family and consists of approximately 280 species that have been primarily cultivated in East Asia, North America, and Europe. Consumption of hawthorn preparations has been chiefly associated with pharmacological benefits for cardiovascular diseases, including congestive heart failure and angina pectoris. Treatment with hawthorn extracts can be related to improvements in the complex pathogenesis of various hepatic and cardiovascular disorders. In this regard, the present review described that the presence of hawthorn extracts ameliorated hepatic injury, lipid accumulation, inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer in an abundance of experimental models. Hawthorn extracts might have these promising activities, largely by enhancing the hepatic antioxidant system. In addition, several mechanisms, including AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling and apoptosis, are responsible for the role of hawthorn extracts in repairing the dysfunction of injured hepatocytes. Specifically, hawthorn possesses a wide range of biological actions relevant to the treatment of toxic hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Accordingly, hawthorn extracts can be developed as a major source of therapeutic agents for liver diseases.