Garlic has been used throughout history for both culinary and medicinal purpose. Allicin is a major component of crushed garlic. Although it is sensitive to heat and light and easily metabolized into various compounds such as diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, and diallyl sulfide, allicin is still a major bioactive compound of crushed garlic. The mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma is quite high and ranks among the top 10 cancer-related deaths in Taiwan. Although numerous studies have shown the cancer-preventive properties of garlic and its components, there is no study on the effect of allicin on the growth of human liver cancer cells. In this study, we focused on allicin-induced autophagic cell death in human liver cancer Hep G2 cells. Our results indicated that allicin induced p53-mediated autophagy and inhibited the viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Using Western blotting, we observed that allicin decreased the level of cytoplasmic p53, the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway, and the level of Bcl-2 and increased the expression of AMPK/TSC2 and Beclin-1 signaling pathways in Hep G2 cells. In addition, the colocalization of LC3-II with MitoTracker-Red (labeling mitochondria), resulting in allicin-induced degradation of mitochondria, could be observed by confocal laser microscopy. In conclusion, allicin of garlic shows great potential as a novel chemopreventive agent for the prevention of liver cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent type of liver cancer globally and ranks first among the cancer-related mortalities in Taiwan. This study aims to understand the modes of cell death mechanism induced by allicin, a major phytochemical of crushed garlic, in human hepatoma cells. Our earlier study indicated that allicin induced autophagic cell death in human HCC Hep G2 (p53(wild type)) cells, whereas in the present study, allicin induced apoptotic cell death through caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathways by reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction in human HCC Hep 3B (p53(mutation)) cells. To gain insight into the cell death mechanism in p53 knocked down Hep G2, we silenced the p53 gene using siRNA-mediated silencing. Allicin treatment induced apoptotic cell death in p53 knocked down Hep G2 cells similar to that of Hep 3B cells. These results suggest that allicin induced cell death in human hepatoma cells through either autophagy or apoptosis and might be a potential novel complementary gene therapeutic agent for the treatment of apoptosis-resistant cancer cells.

Fatty liver is significantly associated with hepatic cirrhosis and liver cancer. Excessive alcohol consumption causes alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD). Ginger has been reported to exhibit antioxidant potential and hepatoprotective activity. In the present study, a mouse model for AFLD was developed by employing male C57BL/6 mice that were fed an alcohol-containing liquid diet (Lieber-DeCarli diet) ad libitum. In the treatment groups, ginger essential oil (GEO) and citral were orally administered every day for 4 weeks. Serum biochemical analysis, antioxidant enzyme activity analysis, and histopathological evaluation revealed that GEO and citral exhibited hepatoprotective activity against AFLD. Metabolites in serum samples were profiled by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS). Metabolomic data indicated the amounts of metabolites such as d-glucurono-6,3-lactone, glycerol-3-phosphate, pyruvic acid, lithocholic acid, 2-pyrocatechuic acid, and prostaglandin E1 were increased after alcohol administration, but the levels were recovered in treatment groups. The analysis indicated that ginger possesses hepatoprotective properties against AFLD. Furthermore, these metabolites can serve as early noninvasive candidate biomarkers in the clinical application of AFLD for health management.

Fatty liver induced by alcohol abuse is a major worldwide health hazard leading to morbidity and mortality. Previous studies indicate antifatty liver properties of garlic. This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of garlic oil (GO) or diallyl disulfide (DADS) imparted hepatoprotection against alcohol induced fatty liver in C57BL/6 mice using microarray-based global gene expression analysis. Alcohol liquid diet resulted in severe fatty liver with increased levels of serum aspartate aminotransferease and alanine aminotransferease as well as triglycerides and decreased levels of liver glutathione and antioxidant enzymes. The major canonical pathways implicated by alcohol treatment are the metabolisms of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, glutathione, and arachidonic acid. Treatment with DADS or GO normalized the serum aminotransferease levels and liver antioxidant enzymes and reduced the contents of triglycerides and cholesterol. The canonical pathways involved in the amelioration of liver include arachidonic acid metabolism, altered T cell and B cell signaling, tryptophan metabolism, antigen presentation pathway for DADS, metabolism of xenobiotics, mitotic roles of Polo-like kinase, fatty acid metabolism, LPS/IL-1 mediated inhibition of RXR function, and C21-steroid hormone metabolism for GO.

Prolonged zidovudine (AZT) treatment in HIV-infected and AIDS patients is shown to induce liver toxicity leading to complications. Therapeutic regimen that could encounter this adverse effect is unavailable and management of toxicity is often symptomatic or is limited to withdrawal of therapy. In the present investigation, we evaluated the alleviating properties of silibinin (SBN), a flavanolignan obtained from Silybum marianum against subacute AZT-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats. AZT treatment (50 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) periorally (p.o.), daily for 45 days) caused highly significant increases in alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, argininosuccinic acid lyase and bilirubin in serum. Oxidative stress is shown by a highly significant increase in lipid peroxidase and total carbonyl content and decrease in catalase and protein thiols in the liver tissue. Hyperlipidaemia is indicated by highly significant increase in total lipids and free fatty acid in serum. Evaluation of liver by haematoxylin and eosin staining shows parenchymal cell enlargement, inflammatory changes and increase in sinusoidal spaces. Simultaneous treatment of SBN (100 mg/kg b.w. p.o., daily for 45 days) significantly protected the liver against hepatotoxicity, oxidative stress and hyperlipidaemia induced by AZT, and this alleviating property is attributed to hepatoprotective, membrane-stabilizing, antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties of SBN.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a complex chronic disease and is associated with a spectrum of liver injury ranging from steatosis and steatohepatitis to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Since effective therapies for ALD are still limited, Chinese herbal medicine is thought to be an important and alternative approach. This review focuses on the current scientific evidence of ALD by ten Chinese Materia Medica (中藥 zhōng yào), including Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix (丹參 dān shēn), Notoginseng Radix (三七 sān qī), Lycii Fructus (枸杞子 gǒu qǐ zǐ), Cnidii Fructus (蛇床子 shé chuáng zǐ), Gentianae Radix (龍膽 lóng dǎn), Puerariae Radix (葛根 gé gēn), Puerariae Flos (葛花 gé huā), Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex (厚朴 hòu pò), Platycodonis Radix (桔梗 jié gěng), and Trigonellae Semen (胡蘆巴 hú lú bā). Potential mechanisms of these herbal medicines in ALD are involved in amelioration of enhanced inflammation, reduction of hepatic oxidative stress and lipogenesis, and enhancement of intestinal permeability in alcohol-induced liver injury models in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, the evidenced therapeutic potential suggests that these herbs are promising candidates for prevention and development of new drugs for ALD in the future.

Garlic (大蒜 dà suàn; the bulb of Allium sativum), bestowed with an array of organosulfur compounds finds its application in treating many ailments including cardiovascular problems, common cold, bacterial and fungal infections and cancer. Numerous epidemiological evidences document the beneficial effects of various bioactive organosulfur compounds of garlic against different types of cancer. Studies involving the animal and cell models indicate garlic bioactive compounds could be effective in treating all the stages of cancer. This review gives an update on the recent pre-clinical and clinical trials, carried out to evaluate the efficacy of various garlic bioactive compounds along with the mechanism of action pertaining to major digestive cancers including liver, gastric and colorectal cancers. The major anti-carcinogenic mechanisms are caspase dependent and/or independent induction of apoptosis, anti-proliferative, anti-metastasis, anti-oxidant and immunomodulative properties. Form the clinical trials an increase in the garlic consumption of 20 g/day reduced the risk of gastric and colorectal cancer. In summary, increased uptake of garlic in diet may prevent the incidence of digestive cancers.

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases against humans. To tackle this menace, humans have developed several high-technology therapies, such as chemotherapy, tomotherapy, targeted therapy, and antibody therapy. However, all these therapies have their own adverse side effects. Therefore, recent years have seen increased attention being given to the natural food for complementary therapy, which have less side effects. Garlic (Dà Suàn; Allium sativum), is one of most powerful food used in many of the civilizations for both culinary and medicinal purpose. In general, these foods induce cancer cell death by apoptosis, autophagy, or necrosis. Studies have discussed how natural food factors regulate cell survival or death by autophagy in cancer cells. From many literature reviews, garlic could not only induce apoptosis but also autophagy in cancer cells. Autophagy, which is called type-II programmed cell death, provides new strategy in cancer therapy. In conclusion, we wish that garlic could be the pioneer food of complementary therapy in clinical cancer treatment and increase the life quality of cancer patients.