Algae-derived bioactive components ameliorate alcoholic liver injury and underlying mechanisms

Alcoholic liver injury (ALI) caused by chronic excessive alcohol consumption has become a global public health issue. Current clinical interventions including abstinence, pharmacotherapy, and liver transplantation, present substantial limitations. Natural products have emerged as a research hotspot for the prevention and treatment of ALI due to their high safety and multi-target regulatory advantages. Among them, algae-derived bioactive substances have attracted considerable attention for their hepatoprotective effects. This review retrieved relevant studies published from 2000 to 2026 from Web of Science, PubMed, and X-MOL. Algae-derived bioactive compounds exert hepatoprotective effects through multiple mechanisms, with distinct functional priorities and synergistic potential. Given the notable limitations of current studies, future research should further expand the range of algal species, elucidate the molecular mechanisms of bioactivities, improve the bioavailability of active components via delivery systems, and actively promote relevant clinical trials. This article reviews the core pathological mechanisms of ALI, including alcohol metabolic disorders, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, hepatocyte apoptosis, and gut-liver axis imbalance. It also summarizes the research progress of various bioactive substances from algae in alleviating ALI. This review offers a theoretical foundation and practical approaches for the design and application of algae-derived functional products or pharmaceutical preparations against ALI, as well as the high-value utilization of algal biological resources.