According to an article published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, a new drug has been developed that stimulates liver regeneration after surgery.
Liver cancer is usually accompanied by a decrease in blood flow in the organ and, as a result, a decrease in oxygenation and nutrition of the liver tissue. Against this background, liver function worsens. Although it is often possible to perform resection of diseased liver tissue, the sudden restoration of blood flow in the remaining liver tissue can contribute to the development of inflammation. This process is called ischemia-reperfusion injury. In part, ischemia-reperfusion injury is due to the deposition of immune proteins (complement) on the surface of liver cells, as a result of which the cells die and the liver repair process is disrupted.
Complement inhibitors effectively block the development of ischemia-reperfusion injury, but this technique also has a negative effect. Some complement proteins are also required to stimulate the repair process of the liver.
A group of scientists from the Medical University of South Carolina in mice proved that a new generation of complement system inhibitors can reduce the death of liver cells associated with the action of the complement system, as well as stimulate liver repair after surgical manipulations on this organ.
New drug blocks the deposition of complement system proteins on liver cells and stimulates liver cell division. Even when 90% of liver tissue was removed, treatment was associated with an increase in survival from 0 to 70%. The selectivity of the action of the new complement system inhibitor and the unexpected ability to stimulate liver repair indicates that this drug can probably be used to treat various liver diseases.
Source: estet-portal.com.
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