Efficacy of Sea Buckthorn Therapy in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Aim: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicine sea buckthorn (SBT) in the treatment of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Method: 94 patients with NAFLD were randomly divided into two groups: 48 cases of patients received oral sea buckthorn 1.5 g (3 times a day) for three months as the treated group, and 46 cases received only the vehicle for three months as the control group. Serum lipids, transaminase and serum liver fibrosis indices were assessed at baseline and after SBT treatment. All patients underwent liver CT and Fibroscan examination at baseline and after treatment. Results: SBT treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), LDL-C, hyaluronic acid and collagen type IV. The liver stiffness measurement (LSM) of the treated patients was significantly lower than that in the control or baseline. The CT liver/spleen ratio of the treated patients was also significantly increased. Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrated the beneficial effects of SBT on serum lipids, transaminase, and liver/spleen ratio and liver stiffness in patients with NAFLD, which may be further developed as a promising therapy for the treatment of NAFLD.