Pharmacological Effects and Proposed Mechanisms of Atractylodes Medicinal Plants in Liver Diseases: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Medicinal plants of the genus Atractylodes, primarily including Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz., and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., are important traditional Chinese medicinal herbs that are widely recognized for their functions of “strengthening the spleen and drying dampness” and have traditionally been used to treat digestive and metabolic disorders. In recent years, with the increasing global burden of liver diseases, Atractylodes species have attracted growing attention for their potential pharmacological value in liver disease management due to their abundant bioactive compounds and diverse pharmacological activities. This review summarizes reported biological and hepatoprotective effects and proposed mechanisms of Atractylodes medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds in liver-related experimental models, including models relevant to MASLD, ALD, hepatic fibrosis, and HCC. Preclinical studies have reported changes in lipid metabolism, oxidative-stress-related markers, inflammatory responses, fibrotic indices, and tumor-cell phenotypes, accompanied by modulation of signaling pathways including AMPK/SIRT1, PPAR, Nrf2/HO-1, TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB, NLRP3, and TGF-β1/Smad. However, much of the mechanistic evidence is based on pathway-associated changes rather than direct compound–target validation, and clinical evidence remains limited. Overall, the available findings provide a preclinical pharmacological rationale for further investigation of Atractylodes-derived compounds in liver diseases, while their clinical efficacy and therapeutic roles remain to be established.