ArticleDrug design, development and therapy2018
Ferulic acid attenuates liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell activation via inhibition of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.
Article in Drug design, development and therapy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 81 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 178 citations in OpenAlex.
- A role for curcumin in preventing liver fibrosis in animals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- TGF-β promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of medical research · 2023Pooled it
- Emerging roles of mitophagy in liver fibrosis: Implications for therapy.Acta pharmacologica Sinica · 2026Review
- Erythropoietin and Ferulic Acid Loaded on FeApplied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026Article
- A thioacrylamide-based compound directly counteracts hepatic fibrosis with profound anti-obesity action.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2026Article
- Ameliorative Effects of Lycopene and L-Carnitine on CClFood science & nutrition · 2026Article
- Curcumin suppresses EMT to alleviate oral submucous fibrosis progression through XIST/miR-25-3p-mediated inactivation of the TGF-β1/Smads signalling pathway.International dental journal · 2026Article
- Mechanisms Underlying the Attenuating Effects of Bugantang on Liver Fibrosis Based on Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation.Current computer-aided drug design · 2026Article
- Ferulic acid: a liver protector.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Managing dry eye disease - a review of selected traditional Chinese medicine and some of their metabolites focusing on molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- The Protective Effect of Phenolic Acids on Liver Disease: A Review of Possible Mechanisms.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Biologically Active Compounds in Fruits of Cultivated Varieties and Wild Species of Apples.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The role of JNK signaling pathway in organ fibrosis.Journal of advanced research · 2025Review
- Integrated analyses to explore the mechanism of Gancao Renshen Zhixue Decoction in treating liver cirrhosis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Investigation of HO-1 Regulation of Liver Fibrosis Related to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Through the SIRT1/TGF-ß/Smad3 Pathway.Journal of clinical and translational hepatology · 2025Article
- Solid-State Fermented Cereals: Increased Phenolics and Their Role in Attenuating Liver Diseases.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Article
- Deciphering the Role of Oroxylin A in Liver Fibrosis.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Review
- Mechanisms and safety evaluation of stir-fried atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma with aurantii fructus in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease: a study based on organ-on-a-chip model.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Natural medicines for treating liver fibrosis by modulating post-translational modifications.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeLiver fibrosis is a worldwide health issue. Development of effective new drugs for treatment of this disease is of great importance. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of ferulic acid on liver fibrosis in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND
methodsHuman hepatic stellate cell line (HSC) LX-2 was used for in vitro assays. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) was used to induce hepatic fibrosis in LX-2 cells. Western blot was used to detect protein levels of collagen I, fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), p-Smad2, p-Smad3, p-p38, and p-JNK. Gene expression was measured by RT-qPCR. Fluorescence staining was used to determine localization of Smad4. CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in SD rats was used as an in vivo model. Histological features were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hexadecenoic acid (HA), and hydroxyproline (Hyp) were measured by ELISA.
resultsTGF-β1 treatment significantly increased levels of collagen I, fibronectin, α-SMA, p-Smad2, p-Smad3, and Smad4 in LX-2 cells. Ferulic acid improved TGF-β1-induced hepatic fibrosis via regulation of the TGF-β1/Smad pathway. Consistent with in vitro data, CCl4 caused severe hepatic fibrosis in SD rats, as determined by ALT, AST, HA, and Hyp upregulation. Protein levels of p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 in liver tissues were significantly increased following treatment with CCl4. All CCL4-induced changes were markedly attenuated by ferulic acid treatment.
conclusionFerulic acid potently improved hepatic fibrosis via inhibition of the TGF-β1/Smad pathway in vitro and in vivo. These findings provided evidence for potential use of ferulic acid to treat or prevent liver fibrosis.
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Registered trials
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 OpenQuestion graph.