•

Drug-induced liver disease

•

Alcohol-induced liver disease

(d) Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

(e) Hepatic syndrome

•

Cirrhosis of liver

•

Portal hypertension

•

Liver failure

(f) Liver cancer

Approximately 1.7% of the US population is affected by liver diseases

(US Department of Health Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention Summary

Health Statistics 2018). To date, prevention is the first suggestion for the general

population because there is no effective and universal therapy for majority of liver

diseases.

As the list of liver diseases shows, there are many different causes of liver

disorders, and therefore their therapeutic interventions are also multiple. There is

no “general hepatic therapy”, but we have specific treatment options for viral

hepatitis, for medication-induced hepatitis and for immunogenic hepatitis. We can

take general hepatoprotection measures which protect the liver from toxic injury, and

we have agents supporting hepatic regeneration after hepatic pathology. We also

have antiviral agents against certain types of viral hepatitis and anticancer drugs

slowing down the proliferation of hepatic tumours. In addition, there are special

interventions to prevent or reverse drug- and/or alcohol-induced hepatic injury.

In this book chapter, we will describe hepatoprotective pharmaceuticals and

bioactive phytochemicals which have been used for treating or prevention of certain

liver diseases as well as for the restoration of liver tissue integrity and function for

the management of liver disorders in humans. In support of our arguments, we will

report the evidence obtained from studies done in animal models to investigate the

hepatoprotective actions of bioactive compounds isolated from diverse plants

(Table 29.1).

29.1.2 Hepatotoxicity

Hepatotoxicity is the common cause of liver failure and accounts for 10% of acute

liver failure all over the world. An estimated 1000 drugs in the market have been

suspected to cause hepatotoxicity more than once and are the most expected adverse

drug event which leads to the discontinuation of new drugs during preclinical or

clinical stages (Zimmerman 1999; Fisher et al. 2015). It is one of the most challeng-

ing disorders due to difficulties in diagnosis and management. The significant data

regarding the risk and occurrence of drug-induced hepatotoxicity is rare (De Abajo

et al. 2004; Ponte et al. 2017).

There are several grouping of liver disorders, including toxic hepatic injuries.

Hyman Zimmerman, a hepatologist, categorized the drug-induced liver injury (DILI)

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H. Singh et al.