Some liver damage caused by heavy drinking or hepatitis could be halted or even reversed, claim researchers.
The research, in the journal PLoS Online, could also eventually help patients with lung problems and burns.
The British Liver Trust said that any treatment which lessened scarring would help patients.
Heavy alcohol use and hepatitis can lead to a process called fibrosis in the liver, which involves the formation of excessive scar tissue.
Cirrhosis happens when this scarring becomes too severe, interfering with the way the liver works.
Currently doctors can do little more than try to prevent more damage by changing the patient's lifestyle or treating the virus which caused it.
The researchers at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine have halted the formation of the scar tissue by blocking a protein called RSK, which is released naturally by the body as part of the healing process.
The scientists used mice with severe liver fibrosis, some of which were given a chemical which countered RSK.
Those mice had no further liver fibrosis, while those who didn't receive the chemical showed signs of more damage.
The researchers said that other conditions involving fibrosis, such as pulmonary fibrosis and scarring around burn injuries, could also potentially benefit.
"Irrespective of whether cirrhosis is fully reversible there is clearly a lot of benefit to be derived from reducing the amount of liver fibrosis as this allows the liver cells to resume normal function."
No comments:
Post a Comment