Natural alkaloid and polyphenol compounds targeting lipid metabolism: Treatment implications in metabolic diseases

Once the balance between lipid anabolism and catabolism is broken, metabolic disorder will occur in the organism and finally lead to metabolic diseases, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), obesity and cancer. No established therapeutic regimens for treating NAFLD and obesity exist yet. Many natural compounds are extracted from botany, fungi and marine organisms. Importantly, natural compounds are major sources of innovative medicine. In this review, we first elucidate the important roles of lipid metabolism in NAFLD, obesity and cancer. Next, we summarize the action mechanisms of natural compounds including alkaloid, polyphenol targeting lipid metabolism. Therefore, manipulating lipid metabolism to reduce fatty acid availability may be the starting point for improving or even curing lipid metabolism-related diseases. Alkaloid and polyphenol are promising candidates for metabolic diseases to ameliorate lipid metabolism abnormalities.