Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40076811›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2025

Enhancing the Therapeutic Efficacy of Berberine and Quercetin Through Salt Formulation for Liver Fibrosis Treatment.

Yangyang Cheng, Haoyang Yu, Sitong Yang, Xiaolian Tian, Mengyu Zhao, Ling Ren, Xiuping Guo, Chujuan Hu, Jiandong Jiang, Lulu Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Yangyang ChengInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Haoyang YuInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Sitong YangInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Xiaolian TianInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Mengyu ZhaoInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Ling RenInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Xiuping GuoInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.ORCID 0009-0002-7073-7190
Chujuan HuInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Jiandong JiangInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Lulu WangInstitute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.

Funding

CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences No. 2023-I2M-2-006; 2022-I2M-2-002; 2021-I2M-1-070.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Liver fibrosis, caused by chronic hepatic injury, is a major threat to human health worldwide, as there are no specific drugs available for its treatment. Natural compounds, such as berberine (BBR) and quercetin (QR), have shown the ability to regulate energy metabolism and protect the liver without significant adverse effects. Additionally, combination therapy (the cocktail therapy approach), using multiple drugs, has shown promise in treating complicated conditions, including liver injury. In this study, we prepared a salt formulation of BBR and QR (BQS) to enhance their combined effect on liver fibrosis. The formation of BQS was confirmed using various analytical techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that the dissolution efficiency and bioavailability of QR significantly increased in the BQS form, aligning with that of BBR, compared to the physically mixed (BQP) form. Moreover, BQS exhibited a superior inhibitory effect on fibrosis compared to BQP in the human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 by modulating lipid accumulation, inflammation, apoptosis, and the cell cycle. Furthermore, in a mouse model of hepatic fibrosis induced by methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diets, BQS demonstrated enhanced anti-fibrotic activities compared to BQP. These findings suggest that BQS holds promise as a potential alternative treatment for liver fibrosis. Importantly, this study provides novel insights into achieving a cocktail effect through the salt formation of two or more drugs. The results highlight the potential of salt formulations in enhancing the therapeutic efficacy and consistent biological processes of drug combinations.

Indexed as

BerberineLiver CirrhosisQuercetinAnimalsApoptosisCell LineDisease Models, AnimalDrug CompoundingHepatic Stellate CellsHumansLiverMaleMiceBerberineQuercetinberberinecocktail therapyliver fibrosisquercetin

Identifiers

PMID40076811
PMCPMC11899775

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.