Research progress on active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine improving metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease via regulating lipid metabolism

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease with high global prevalence and long course, which affects more than 30% of the population and seriously endangers human health. Lipid metabolism plays an important role in the occurrence and development of MASLD. An increasing number of studies have shown that active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine can regulate lipid metabolism to improve MASLD. Due to the obvious advantages of multi-target regulation and fewer side effects, the active ingredients have shown great potential and value for application. However, the pathological mechanism of MASLD is intricate and the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine can improve MASLD from multiple aspects, there is currently a lack of systematic discussion on lipid metabolism. Therefore, this review focuses on lipid metabolism and reviews the latest research progress of active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine in ameliorating MASLD from the aspects of lipid uptake, lipid synthesis, lipid oxidation, lipid secretion, etc., in order to provide more theoretical references for active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine in regulating lipid metabolism to improve MASLD.