Systematic evaluation of plant extract-mediated modulation of hepatic and renal biomarkers in rodent models: A molecular perspective

Background: Chronic hepatic and renal diseases are a worldwide public health problem and there are limitations of the traditional treatments. Each of these plants has a variety of phytochemicals with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic properties, which can serve as alternative therapeutic agents. 
Objective: This systematic review aims to elucidate on the effect of the plant extracts on the hepatic and renal biomarkers in the rodent models and its mechanism of action. 
Methodology: A systematic literature search was performed, and studies on the effect of plant extracts on liver and kidney function was synthesized, focusing on the oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis and apoptosis pathways. 
Results: The major plant extracts which consistently showed hepatoprotective and nephroprotective properties on rodents were curcumin, silymarin, quercetin, naringenin, apigenin, baicalin, rosmarinic acid, ellagic acid, green tea extract (GTE) and pomegranate. The effects of these are mainly mediated through the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, NF-κB inhibition, NLRP3 inflammasomes modulation, TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway and through the regulation of the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. The efficiency was observed through these phytochemicals that were able to effectively combat the oxidative stress and reduce both fibrotic remodeling and apoptosis and consequently restored the function of both liver and kidney.
Conclusions: Plants derived medicine offers a significant potential for treating liver and kidney disorders. Future studies should be directed towards standardization, accurate identification of the molecular target, on bioavailability assessment and the long-term safety studies to help transferring the investigations to clinical practices and generate safe and effective interventions.