Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a growing health issue around the world, is defined as the presence of steatosis in the liver without any other detectable byproducts such as alcohol consumption, which includes a wide spectrum of pathologies, such as steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. A growing body of evidence indicates that the reduction in the 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity, which could be activated by the consumption of the drugs, hormones, cytokines, and dietary restriction, is related to some metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, PCOS, and NAFLD. Vanillic acid (VA), as an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic factor, has protective effects on the liver as in two animal models of liver damage, it reduces serum levels of transaminases, inflammatory cytokines, and the accumulation of collagen in the liver and also prevents liver fibrosis. Besides, it decreases body and adipose tissue weight in a mice model of obesity and, similar to the liver tissue, diminishes adipogenesis through the activation of AMPK. It has been reported that VA can target almost all of the metabolic abnormalities of NAFLD, such as hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and hepatic injury, at least partially through the activation of AMPK. Therefore, in this review, we will discuss the possible and hypothetical roles of VA in NAFLD, with a special focus on AMPK.

非酒精性脂肪性肝病 (NAFLD) 是世界范围内日益严重的健康问题，其定义为肝脏中存在脂肪变性而没有任何其他可检测到的副产品，例如饮酒，其中包括广泛的病理，例如脂肪性肝炎、肝硬化和肝细胞癌。越来越多的证据表明，5' 腺苷一磷酸活化蛋白激酶 (AMPK) 活性的降低可能与药物、激素、细胞因子和饮食限制的消耗有关，这与一些代谢紊乱有关，例如如肥胖、糖尿病、PCOS 和 NAFLD。香草酸 (VA) 作为一种抗炎、抗氧化、抗血管生成和抗转移因子，在两种肝损伤动物模型中对肝脏具有保护作用，它可以降低血清转氨酶、炎性细胞因子和肝脏中胶原蛋白的积累水平，还可以预防肝纤维化。此外，它还降低了肥胖小鼠模型中的身体和脂肪组织重量，并且与肝脏组织类似，通过激活 AMPK 来减少脂肪生成。据报道，VA 可以靶向几乎所有 NAFLD 的代谢异常，例如肝脂肪变性、炎症和肝损伤，至少部分通过激活 AMPK。因此，在这篇综述中，我们将讨论 VA 在 NAFLD 中可能和假设的作用，特别关注 AMPK。类似于肝组织，通过激活 AMPK 减少脂肪生成。据报道，VA 可以靶向几乎所有 NAFLD 的代谢异常，例如肝脂肪变性、炎症和肝损伤，至少部分通过激活 AMPK。因此，在这篇综述中，我们将讨论 VA 在 NAFLD 中可能和假设的作用，特别关注 AMPK。类似于肝组织，通过激活 AMPK 减少脂肪生成。据报道，VA 可以靶向几乎所有 NAFLD 的代谢异常，例如肝脂肪变性、炎症和肝损伤，至少部分通过激活 AMPK。因此，在这篇综述中，我们将讨论 VA 在 NAFLD 中可能和假设的作用，特别关注 AMPK。