A Review on Hepatoprotective Effects of Some Medicinal Plant Oils

Abstract

Background: The liver is the second largest organ inside the human body. It can be damaged by several toxic molecules and medicinal agents taken in overdoses. Indeed, there are some oils obtained from different herbs that can be used to protect the liver injury. Objective: This review aims to give details on some oils that have been tested for their hepatoprotective effect. Methods: We reviewed 79 articles published between 1980 and 2019 in English language using three databases Sciencedirect, Web of Science and PubMed. So, we have used the keywords related to hepatoprotective activity: Hepatoprotective, liver disease, plant and oil and we have classified the plants in alphabetical order as a list containing their scientific and family names, as well as the experimental assay and the results obtained from these studies. Results: As a result, we have described 18 species belonging to 18 families: Altingiaceae, Apiaceae, Arecaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Caryocaraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Lauraceae, Leguminoseae, Malvaceae, Moringaceae, Myrtaceae, Oleaceae, Pinaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, Theaceae and Vitaceae. Among the most common fatty acids present in hepatoprotective oils are palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid. Conclusion: These oils have shown beneficial properties regarding the hepatoprotective activity.