Gou H, Chen P, Li JW, Wu WB. Efficacy and mechanism of Xing-Pi-Qing-Gan decoction in treating alcoholic liver disease. World J Hepatol 2026; 18(7): 118048 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.118048]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Wen-Bing Wu, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, No. 1 Section 1, Xianglin Road, Longma Tan District, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China. wuwenbing5@vip.163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
review-article
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World J Hepatol. Jul 27, 2026; 18(7): 118048 Published online Jul 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.118048
Efficacy and mechanism of Xing-Pi-Qing-Gan decoction in treating alcoholic liver disease
Hui Gou, Ping Chen, Jin-Wei Li, Wen-Bing Wu
Hui Gou, Jin-Wei Li, Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
Ping Chen, Department of Pharmacy, Suining Central Hospital, Suining 629000, Sichuan Province, China
Wen-Bing Wu, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Hui Gou and Ping Chen.
Co-corresponding authors: Jin-Wei Li and Wen-Bing Wu.
Author contributions: Gou H and Chen P contributed equally to this work; Wu WB and Li JW designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript. Wu WB, with expertise in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, directed the theoretical framework and provided a deep-seated analysis of the molecular signaling pathways and fundamental medical theories discussed. Li JW contributed critical professional insights into the clinical application of Xing-Pi-Qing-Gan decoction, focusing on the regulation of the gut-liver axis and the stringent requirements for standardized quality control from a pharmaceutical perspective. Gou H and Chen P contributed to the discussion, writing, editing, and review of the literature; Li JW and Wu WB contributed to the design, writing, editing, creating illustration, and review of the manuscript; Li JW and Wu WB contributed equally to this work; all authors have read and agreed to the revised version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: The author utilized the Google "Gemini" AI tool. The AI technology was employed to assist in constructing certain parts of the main text, and was used for the translation and language correction of this manuscript. The AI did not participate in the design process of the research or the interpretation of the research results. No images generated by AI were used in this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Wen-Bing Wu, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, No. 1 Section 1, Xianglin Road, Longma Tan District, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China. wuwenbing5@vip.163.com
Received: December 23, 2025 Revised: January 16, 2026 Accepted: February 5, 2026 Published online: July 27, 2026 Processing time: 213 Days and 22.3 Hours
Abstract
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) represents a significant global health burden driven by oxidative stress, metabolic dysregulation, and chronic inflammation, yet effective therapies targeting its complex pathogenesis are limited. This study elucidates that Xing-Pi-Qing-Gan decoction (XPQG) significantly mitigates ethanol-induced liver injury and steatosis. Importantly, the authors identify the suppression of DDIT3 and the restoration of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 signaling as the key molecular mechanism. These findings suggest that XPQG is a promising therapeutic candidate for ALD. In addition to confirming these findings, this review critically examines the potential effects of XPQG on the “gut-liver axis” regulation and epigenetic mechanisms, including microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional control, while emphasizing the necessity of standardized quality control based on quality markers for future clinical applications.
Core Tip: This review on Xing-Pi-Qing-Gan decoction (XPQG) for alcoholic liver disease, demonstrating the mechanism by which XPQG inhibits liver injury by inhibiting DNA damage-inducible transcript 3 and activating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 through multiple sets of experiments. On the basis of affirming the scientific evidence of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of metabolic liver disease, this article discusses the potential regulation mechanism of the “gut-liver axis” of this prescription, explores the epigenetic regulatory network involving non-coding RNAs, and puts forward the necessity of establishing a standardized drug quality control system incorporating chemical fingerprinting and pharmacokinetic profiling in the future clinical transformation.
