Targeting Hepatic Stellate Cells to Reverse Liver Fibrosis

Researchers are working on a method of targeting stellate cells in the liver to prevent them from causing fibrosis when overactivated in response to infections, autoimmunity, and other causes of liver disease:

Liver fibrosis and its more severe form, cirrhosis, are caused by scar tissue that forms in the liver. The progressive stiffening of the liver, a hallmark of the disorders, occurs when a type of liver cell known as the hepatic stellate cell is "activated" and overproduces the stringy network of proteins called the extracellular matrix that binds cells together. Being able to turn cirrhosis around, especially in its late stages, would be a great boon, because liver fibrosis and cirrhosis can be asymptomatic for decades. Many patients only seek treatment when their disease becomes very advanced, at which point liver transplant is their only option.

Scientists have known for more than a decade that a protein called tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand - TRAIL, for short - can specifically kill activated hepatic stellate cells that overproduce the extracellular matrix, sparing healthy cells in the liver. However, TRAIL has thus far proven unsuccessful for clinical use because in animal studies, enzymes in the bloodstream quickly degrade it before it has time to work. Seeking a way to extend TRAIL's half-life, or the time that it remains intact in the bloodstream, researchers coated TRAIL with polyethylene glycol (PEG), a synthetic polymer. Initial exper...

Source: Fight Aging! - March 7, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs