Research progress on the hepatoprotective effect, pharmacokinetic properties, and hepatotoxicity of geniposide

Liver disease (LD) is a global health problem caused by multiple factors. At present, there are still obvious problems with limited efficacy and strong side effects of drugs used in the clinical treatment of LD. Therefore, it is of great significance to search for effective hepatoprotective drugs from natural products. Geniposide (GS) is a cyclic ether terpenoid compound and a key component in the traditional Chinese medicine Gardenia jasminoides . It has a significant inhibitory effect on LD. However, there is currently no literature systematically analyzing its mechanism of action. To adapt to the environment of new drug research and the need for precision medication, this article summarizes the pathways and possible mechanisms of action discovered by GS in the treatment of LD, based on recent research literature: regulating bile stasis, antioxidant and anti-apoptosis, improving amino acid metabolism, improving energy metabolism, regulating lipid metabolism, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, etc. It also summarizes the pharmacokinetics of GS in vivo and discusses the liver toxicity of GS that is positively correlated with dosage. In addition, the existing problems in current research and possible future development directions were also discussed, to lay the foundation for the clinical development of natural product GS.