Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (
NAFLD) is defined as
liver disease in which more than 5% of hepatocytes are steatotic with little or no alcohol consumption.
NAFLD includes benign
nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Importantly, NASH is an advanced progression of NAFL and is characterized by steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning, lobular
inflammation, and
fibrosis. However, to date, no drugs specifically targeting
NAFLD have been approved by the FDA. Therefore, a new drug or strategy for
NAFLD treatment is necessary. However, the pathogenesis of
NAFLD is complex and no single-target drugs have achieved the desired results. Noticeably,
traditional Chinese medicine formulations are a complex system with multiple components, multiple targets, and synergistic effects between components. The Ganweikang
tablet is a compound formula based on
traditional Chinese medicine theory and clinical experience. In this study, network pharmacology analysis indicates Ganweikang
tablet as a candidate for
NAFLD treatment. Furthermore, we evaluated the
therapeutic effects of Ganweikang
tablet on the NAFL and NASH and tried to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms in animal models and cell experiments. As expected, Ganweikang
tablet was found to improve NAFL and NASH by modulating
inflammation, apoptosis, and
fatty acid oxidation by inhibiting NFκB,
caspase-8, and activating PPARα, which not only indicates that Ganweikang
tablet as a drug candidate but also provides a theoretical basis of Ganweikang
tablet for the treatment of NAFL and NASH.