Background: Taraxacum officinale (T. officinale), commonly known as dandelion, is a plant with recognized therapeutic properties in both traditional and modern medicine. Historically, it has been used to treat various conditions, particularly liver disorders, owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This narrative review focuses on its biological activity, with an emphasis on hepatoprotective effects. Methods: We performed a compilation and analysis of published studies on the effects of T. officinale in animal models and its potential application in liver diseases. Results: Preclinical studies have reported that extracts of this plant protect against liver damage induced by toxic agents such as alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, and paracetamol. Among the most relevant and predominant bioactive compounds of T. officinale is taraxasterol, which modulates inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways, helping to prevent liver damage. Conclusions: While preclinical studies are promising, further clinical trials are essential to confirm the safety and efficacy of T. officinale in the treatment of liver diseases. Determining the optimal dosing, evaluating its potential as an adjuvant in pharmacological treatments, as well as evaluating possible interactions with conventional drugs, is necessary for the potential use of T. officinale as an adjuvant agent in the treatment of liver diseases.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly omega-3 derivatives such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are precursors of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) that actively orchestrate the resolution of inflammation. Among these, maresins (MaRs) have gathered increasing attention due to their potent immunomodulatory and tissue-regenerative properties. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the current knowledge on the biosynthesis, structural diversity, and biological functions of MaRs, with a focus on MaR1. We discuss the enzymatic pathways involved in the generation of MaR1, MaR2, MaRs conjugates in tissue regeneration (MCTRs), and maresin-like lipid mediators (MaR-Ls), highlighting their roles in modulating inflammatory responses, promoting phagocytosis, and restoring tissue homeostasis. Preclinical evidence from in vitro and in vivo models demonstrates that MaRs exert protective effects in a wide range of pathological contexts, including neuroinflammation, liver injury, cardiovascular dysfunction, pulmonary diseases, and metabolic disorders. Although their therapeutic promise is well-supported, key gaps remain in the understanding of MaRs biosynthesis, receptor specificity, and translational applicability. This review emphasizes the importance of advancing mechanistic and clinical research to fully harness MaRs as part of next-generation therapeutics in inflammation-driven diseases.

Azorella compacta (A. compacta) is a shrub of the Andean Altiplano of Bolivia, Chile and Peru, consumed by local communities as a traditional medicine for several maladies such as diabetes, hepatic and inflammatory diseases. A. compacta is rich in mulinane- and azorellane-type diterpenoids. For two of these, acute hypoglycemic effects have been described, but the impact of A. compacta diterpenoids on fatty liver disease has not been investigated. Therefore, A. compacta organic fractions were prepared using petroleum ether, dichloromethane and methanol. Their content was characterized by UHPLC/MS, revealing the presence of ten diterpenoids, mainly mulinic acid, azorellanol and mulin-11,13-diene. Next, mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD), a model of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), received one of the fractions in drinking water for two weeks. After this treatment, hepatic parameters were evaluated. The A. compacta fractions did not reduce hyperglycemia or body weight in the HFD-fed mice but increased the serum levels of hepatic transaminases (AST and ALT), reduced albumin and increased bilirubin, indicating hepatic damage, while histopathological alterations such as steatosis, inflammation and necrosis generated by the HFD were, overall, not ameliorated by the fractions. These results suggest that organic A. compacta extracts may generate hepatic complications in patients with MAFLD.

Background/Objectives: Maresin 1 (MaR1), a pro-resolving mediator derived from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), differs from DHA in its C7/C14 hydroxylation pattern and double-bond arrangement. We compared their recognition by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor α (RORα) in the context of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Methods: We validated Glide docking by redocking reference ligands and performed four independent 250 ns molecular dynamics simulations per complex (24 trajectories; 6.0 μs). We evaluated structural stability, replica-resolved contacts, oxygen distance profiles, and conformational sampling; relative energetic estimates were obtained using molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) calculations. Results: Redocking RMSDs were ≤1.5 Å, and the replicated trajectories showed no ligand dissociation. In PPARα, MaR1 showed recurrent C7-OH–Lys358 proximity and reproducible carboxylate-associated contacts with Tyr314 and Ser280. In PPARγ, the MaR1 carboxylate sampled Tyr473 in helix 12 and HIE323 with replica-dependent geometry, whereas DHA retained an Arg288-centered anchor. In RORα, MaR1 preferentially sampled an Arg370-centered arrangement, whereas DHA predominantly engaged Arg367; both ligands displayed replica-dependent alternative polar contacts. MaR1 showed more negative hydrogen-bonding, lipophilic, and van der Waals contributions and lower numerical total MM-GBSA scores than DHA across all three receptor pairs. Conclusions: MaR1 showed receptor-specific redistribution of polar contacts associated with alternative carboxylate positioning. Although the calculations do not establish binding affinity or receptor activation, these patterns, rather than a conserved direct C7-OH/C14-OH recognition motif, define testable interaction sites for matched-analog studies and functional assays.