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

## TL;DR

This paper reviews paeonol's potential as a treatment for liver disease and discusses ways to improve its effectiveness.

## Contribution

The paper highlights paeonol's therapeutic potential and proposes strategies to overcome its limitations for future liver disease treatments.

## Key findings

- Paeonol shows promise in treating various liver diseases due to its low toxicity and multiple pharmacological effects.
- Poor solubility and rapid metabolism limit paeonol's clinical use, but nanocarriers and metabolic regulation may help.
- Preclinical evidence and technological advances suggest paeonol could become a next-generation liver therapy.

## 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 next-generation 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.