Research Advances of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease：Overview and Prospects
10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.04.008
- VernacularTitle:代谢相关脂肪性肝病的中医诊疗研究现状及展望
- Author:
Liang DAI
1
;
Guang JI
1
;
Xianbo WANG
2
;
Li ZHANG
1
;
Hanchen XU
1
;
Xudong TANG
3
Author Information
1. Longhua Hospital，Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Shanghai，200032
2. Beijing Ditan Hospital，Capital Medical University
3. Institute of Spleen and Stomach Diseases，Xiyuan Hospital，China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease;
traditional Chinese medicine therapy;
literature review
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2026;67(4):386-391
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease （MASLD） is fundamentally rooted in spleen deficiency and is closely associated with phlegm turbidity， damp-heat and blood stasis. Clinically， liver constraint with spleen deficiency and internal retention of damp turbidity represent the predominant traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome patterns. Researches have indicated intrinsic connections between the syndrome patterns and biological indicators such as gut microbiota and metabolic profiles. Regarding treatment， classical famous formulas， modern empirical formulas， and newly developed TCM drugs show positive effects in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism， improving insulin resistance， and alleviating metabolic inflammation， exhibiting multi-target mechanisms of action； acupuncture and other external therapies also provide adjunctive value. Nevertheless， current researches still have limitations such as the lack of high-quality clinical evidence and insufficient systematic elucidation of the uncerlying mechanisms. Future efforts should focus on conducting high-quality TCM clinical trials with hard endpoint outcomes such as hepatic histology outcomes， and utilizing modern technologies like multi-omics to elucidate TCM's mechanisms of action， thereby advancing the position of TCM as a first-line therapeutic strategy for MASLD.
