Functional roles and regulatory mechanisms of paeonol in the treatment of liver disease

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Levi

Liver disease poses a major threat to human health, driving intensive research into prevention and therapy. Natural products have emerged as valuable therapeutic resources, especially the bioactive compound paeonol from the root bark of peony (Paeonia lactiflora), noted for low toxicity and diverse pharmacological actions. This review synthesizes paeonol’s therapeutic promise across multiple liver pathologies and analyzes underlying regulatory mechanisms. Challenges such as poor solubility and rapid metabolism limit clinical translation. The work also outlines strategies to enhance bioavailability and liver targeting, integrating preclinical evidence with technological advances while proposing directions for future research in metabolic regulation and smart nanocarrier design.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

1 Introduction

1.1 Overview of liver disease categories and burden

1.2 Rationale and mechanisms of paeonol in liver protection

2 Physicochemical properties and bioavailability of paeonol

Shu et al. Natural Products and Bioprospecting (2026) 16:2 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00554-3](https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00554-3) Natural Products and Bioprospecting REVIEW Open Access Functional roles and regulatory mechanisms of paeonol in the treatment of liver disease Min Shu1,2†, Mengzhou Fang3†, Tao Xu1,2* and Qi Yan4* Abstract Liver disease is a serious threat to human health, so its prevention and treatment have been the focus of medical research. In the past few years, natural products have proved to be promising and valuable in the treatment of liver diseases. The bioactive substance paeonol, extracted from the root bark of peony (Paeonia lactiflora) of the buttercup family, is a promising drug candidate because of its low toxicity and multifaceted pharmacological properties. This review comprehensively explored the therapeutic potential of paeonol in different liver pathologies as well as the regulatory mechanisms. Despite its promising potential, the poor solubility and rapid metabolism of paeonol hindered its clinical translation. To improve bioavailability and liver targeting, we highlighted the potential of paeonol as a nextgeneration therapy for liver diseases by integrating preclinical evidence and technological advances, while exploring key avenues for future research, such as metabolic regulation and smart nanocarrier design. Keywords Paeonol, Liver diseases, Anti-inflammatory, Signaling pathways, Drug delivery systems †Min Shu and Mengzhou Fang have contributed equally to this work. *Correspondence: Tao Xu [xutao@ahmu.edu.cn](xutao@ahmu.edu.cn)[ ](xutao@ahmu.edu.cn)Qi Yan [yanqi@ahmu.edu.cn](yanqi@ahmu.edu.cn) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.)[.](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.) Shu et al. Natural Products and Bioprospecting (2026) 16:2 Page 2 of 20 Graphical abstract 1 Introduction Liver diseases can be categorized into acute liver injury (ALI), viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease (ALD), metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) depending on the etiology and pathogenesis [1]. The global incidence of liver disease is on the rise, with increasing risks of developing the condition. Annually, approximately 2 million people die from liver disease, accounting for 4% of global mortality [2]. Among these, HCC, the end-stage manifestation of liver disease, caused around 830,000 deaths in 2020, equivalent to 8.3% of cancer-related deaths worldwide [3]. Liver diseases are caused by numerous factors, including drugs, chemicals, viral infections, excessive consumption of alcohol, dystrophy, and disorders of acid-base balance [4, 5]. Fortunately, increasing attention has been directed toward the use of highly effective and low-toxicity components from natural products for the treatment of liver disease, and some progress has been made. Among them, the pharmacological mechanism of paeonol, an active monomer component derived from the root bark

FAQs

What is paeonol and why is it considered promising for liver diseases?

Paeonol is a bioactive substance extracted from the root bark of peony (Paeonia lactiflora). It is highlighted as a promising drug candidate due to low toxicity and multifaceted pharmacological properties, supported by broad-spectrum bioactivities via multi-target mechanisms.

What major limitations hinder paeonol’s clinical translation?

The review states that poor solubility and rapid metabolism of paeonol impede its clinical translation.

How can bioavailability and liver targeting of paeonol potentially be improved?

The document proposes enhancing bioavailability and liver targeting by integrating preclinical evidence with technological advances, and it points to future research avenues such as metabolic regulation and smart nanocarrier design.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Levi