Putra SANTOSO, Nurul ANNISA, Kurniadi ILHAM, Muhammad Syukri FADIL, Jihan Aprilia NAWAWI
Journal of Research in Pharmacy - 2025;29(6):2206-2217
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the prevalent health issues. This present study aimed to explore the potential of wild Sumatran turmeric (Curcuma sumatrana) extract as an alternative medicine to manage NAFLD. Male mice were assigned equally to five experimental groups, namely: control (healthy mice), NAFLD mice without any treatment, and NAFLD mice treated orally with C. sumatrana ethanolic extract at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of body weight for four consecutive weeks. The results indicated that, compared with NAFLD mice without treatment, administration of C. sumatrana extract significantly reduced serum glutamate propionate transaminase (a liver enzyme) in the blood plasma and malondialdehyde (a marker of oxidative stress) in liver tissue (P < 0.05). The extract substantially ameliorated hepatic steatosis, degenerated hepatocytes, and central vein dilatation (P < 0.05). Regarding its effectiveness, the extract at higher doses (200 and 400 mg/kg BW) elicited greater beneficial effects against NAFLD than the lower dose (100 mg/kg BW). Furthermore, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometry analysis revealed 17 compounds in the extract with various plausible bioactivities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Hence, C. sumatrana is a potential candidate for a plant-based remedy to counteract diet-induced metabolic problems, including NAFLD.
