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CC BY 4.0 · Chinese medicine and natural products 2024; 04(02): e43-e48
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1787705
Review Article

Research Progress of Cholestatic Liver Disease-Related Pruritus in Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine

Wenzhang Dai
1   State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
,
Hong Nie
1   State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
› Author Affiliations Funding This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (8181101216) and Outstanding Innovative Talents Cultivation Funded Programs for Doctoral Students of Jinan University (2023CXB027).
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Abstract

Pruritus is common in cholestatic liver disease, with a high clinical incidence rate and complex pathogenesis. Accumulation of potential pruritus inducers such as steroids, bile acids, and lysophosphatidic acid in the systemic circulation is the main cause of pruritus in cholestatic liver disease. Currently, clinical treatment of cholestatic liver disease-related pruritus mainly includes medication, intervention therapy, and some experimental methods. However, there are still problems, such as unclear pathological mechanisms and unsatisfactory treatment responses in some patients with cholestatic liver disease-related pruritus. Effective treatment for patients still faces challenges. By extensively screening patients' plasma (and/or bile) samples through clinical trials, potential pruritus inducers can be identified comprehensively, which can provide a deeper understanding of the itch signaling pathways in cholestatic liver disease and a basis for the development of treatment strategies. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown certain characteristics and advantages in clinical treatment. Based on the etiology and pathogenesis, external application, internal administration, and TCM-specific therapies have achieved good clinical efficacy. Similarly, the combination of Chinese medicine and Western medicine has also achieved more effective treatment for patients with cholestatic liver disease-related pruritus. This article will introduce the latest progress in the study of pruritus inducers in cholestatic liver disease and its treatment in TCM and Western medicine.

Keywords

cholestasis - pruritus - Chinese medicine - Western medicine - research progress

CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement

Wenzhang Dai: Investigation, and writing—original draft. Hong Nie: Funding Acquisition, and writing—review & editing.




Publication History

Received: 02 February 2024

Accepted: 22 March 2024

Article published online:
27 June 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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