Luteolin is a
flavonoid widely present in various traditional Chinese medicines. In recent years,
luteolin has received more attention due to its impressive liver protective effect, such as metabolic associated
fatty liver disease, hepatic
fibrosis and
hepatoma. This article summarizes the pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and toxicity of
luteolin against
liver diseases, and provides prospect. The results indicate that
luteolin improves liver lesions through various mechanisms, including inhibiting inflammatory factors, reducing oxidative stress, regulating
lipid balance, slowing down excessive aggregation of extracellular matrix, inducing apoptosis and autophagy of
liver cancer cells. Pharmacokinetics research manifested that due to metabolic effects, the bioavailability of
luteolin is relatively low. It is worth noting that appropriate modification, new delivery systems, and derivatives can enhance its bioavailability. Although many studies have shown that the toxicity of
luteolin is minimal, strict toxicity experiments are still needed to evaluate its safety and promote its reasonable development. In addition, this study also discussed the clinical applications related to
luteolin, indicating that it is a key component of commonly used liver
protective drugs in clinical practice. In view of its excellent pharmacological effects,
luteolin is expected to become a potential drug for the treatment of various
liver diseases.