The Roles of Gardenia Jasminoides and Its Constituents in Liver Diseases: Gardenia jasminoides in Liver Diseases

Maneerat Chayanupatkul

Authors

Maneerat Chayanupatkul Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

Keywords:

Gardenia jasminoides, liver failure, cholestasis, liver fibrosis, liver cancer, geniposide, genipin, crocin, crocetin

Abstract

Gardenia jasminoides extract (GJE), widely used in traditional medicine, contains bioactive compounds such as geniposide, genipin, and crocin with diverse pharmacological effects. This review summarizes its hepatoprotective roles across liver diseases, including acute liver failure (ALF), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cholestatic liver disease, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Preclinical studies demonstrate that GJE reduces mortality and improves liver histology in ALF by suppressing inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and necroptosis while enhancing endogenous antioxidant defenses. In NAFLD, GJE alleviates hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, downregulates lipogenesis, and restores mitochondrial function. In cholestatic models, it enhances bile flow and modulates bile acid transporters such as FXR, BSEP, and MRP.

Additionally, GJE exhibits anti-fibrotic and anti-tumor effects by inhibiting key signaling pathways such as TLR4/NF-κB, Sonic hedgehog, and Akt/mTOR, while reducing oxidative stress and inflammation and promoting tumor cell apoptosis. Overall, GJE shows promise as a multi-target therapeutic agent, warranting further clinical validation.

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