Abstract：
The incidence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) has been rapidly increasing during the last decade. It is a relevant health problem that affects 25% of the general population. NAFLD involves an extensive array of clinical conditions. So far, no approved pharmacological therapy for NAFLD has been developed. Multiple bioactive compounds have been proposed to treat NAFLD. One of the most promising is Berberine (BBR). Its pleiotropic effect positively impacts various cardiometabolic aspects. In this review, we summarize NAFLD, its metabolic and cardiovascular complications, the hepatoprotective effects of BBR due to its broad spectrum of pharmacological effects, and the potential role of BBR in NAFLD therapy. BBR ameliorates NAFLD by affecting numerous abnormalities. It inhibits lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis, improves insulin resistance and lipid profile, and modulates gut microbiota. The exact mechanism underlying these effects is not yet entirely explained. A growing amount of evidence confirming the positive effects of BBR on multiple metabolic pathways, such as lipids and glucose metabolism, energy homeostasis, or gut microbiota modulation, allows us to speculate about the importance of this natural bioactive substance for NAFLD therapy.
摘要：
非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）的发病率在过去十年中迅速增加。这是一个相关的健康问题，影响了25％的普通人群。NAFLD涉及广泛的临床病症。到目前为止,尚未开发出经批准的NAFLD药物治疗。已提出多种生物活性化合物来治疗NAFLD。其中最有前途的是小檗碱(BBR)。其多效效应对各种心脏代谢方面产生积极影响。在这次审查中,我们总结NAFLD，它的代谢和心血管并发症，由于其广谱的药理作用，BBR的保肝作用，以及BBR在NAFLD治疗中的潜在作用。BBR通过影响许多异常来改善NAFLD。它抑制脂肪生成和糖异生，改善胰岛素抵抗和血脂，并调节肠道微生物群。这些影响的确切机制尚未完全解释。越来越多的证据证实了BBR对多种代谢途径的积极作用，如脂质和葡萄糖代谢，能量稳态，或肠道微生物群调节，允许我们推测这种天然生物活性物质对NAFLD治疗的重要性。
