Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42890572›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pharmacology2026

Shenze shugan capsules alleviate alcoholic liver injury in association with modulation of the TGF-β/smad4 signaling pathway.

Lu Wang, Qianyu Gu, Jia Tinghe, Zhen Sun, Di Wang, Lanzhou Li, Huiyun Zang, Lijun Lin, Junliang Chen, Chunyue Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Lu WangEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Qianyu GuEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Jia TingheEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Zhen SunEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Di WangEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Lanzhou LiEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Huiyun ZangJilin Aodong Shihang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Dunhua, China.
Lijun LinJilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group Yanji Co., Ltd., Yanji, China.
Junliang ChenEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Chunyue WangEngineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) represents a major contributor to liver fibrosis globally, and current therapeutic options remain inadequate. The TGF-β/Smad4 cascade is critically involved in alcohol-evoked activation of hepatic stellate cells and subsequent extracellular matrix accumulation. Although Shenze Shugan capsule (SZSG) has been clinically used for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, its efficacy and mechanisms in ALD are unclear. This study aimed to explore how SZSG exerts protective effects against alcohol-triggered liver injury and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Both acute and chronic ALD mouse models were established to assess liver injury, fibrosis, inflammation, gut microbiota composition, and serum metabolomic profiles. Results: SZSG treatment markedly attenuated hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, and inflammation, as evidenced by reductions in lipid accumulation, collagen deposition, and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Concurrently, it reshaped the gut microbiota and restored metabolites dysregulated by alcohol exposure. These beneficial effects appear to involve modulation of the TGF-β/Smad4 signaling pathway and its downstream effectors, α-SMA and Collagen I. Conclusion: Collectively, our findings suggest that SZSG combats ALD by simultaneously modulating the TGF-β/Smad4 signaling axis and preserving gut-liver homeostasis, thereby representing a promising multi-target therapeutic candidate.

Indexed as

alcohol-associated liver diseasefibrosisgut microbiotaSZSGTGF-β/Smad4

Identifiers

PMID42890572
PMCPMC13671995

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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.