Therapeutic effect of Soshiho-tang, a traditional herbal formula, on liver fibrosis or cirrhosis in animal models: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ethnopharmacological relevanceLiver fibrosis has been recognized as a major lesion of the liver that leads to liver cirrhosis at the end stage. Soshiho-tang (SST) has been used to improve liver fibrosis/cirrhosis by ameliorating fibrosis-specific markers. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of SST on liver fibrosis/cirrhosis through a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis using animal models.Materials and methodsStudies of SST treatment in liver fibrosis/cirrhosis-induced animal models were searched by electronic data bases. The quality of the studies included was assessed and the efficacy of SST was evaluated based on markers from liver tissues and serum.ResultsAmong the 838 studies identified in the literature search, 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. SST significantly reduced the elevated levels of fibrosis markers, such as the degree of fibrosis, hydroxyproline, hyaluronic acid, transforming growth factor-β1, and procollagen III in liver tissues, and aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, procollagen III, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, and type IV collagen in the serum.ConclusionsSST was effective in decreasing pathologically increased markers in animal models of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. A larger-scale of animals, well-designed animal study is expected to improve the methodological quality, heterogeneity, and potential biases of the meta-analysis.

Graphical abstractTherapeutic effect of Soshiho-tang, a herbal formula, in liver fibrosis/cirrhosis-induced animal models in systematic review and meta-analysis. Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (352 K)Download as PowerPoint slide