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Scientists Identify Protein Key for Reversal of Severe Liver Damage
Cirrhosis is a major problem faced by drinkers and high blood pressure, liver cancer, malnutrition and liver failure.
Most hospitals will not perform liver transplants on heavy drinkers who show no intention of cutting down their alcohol intake.
The new RSK-blocking drug could have a profound impact on public health if it is proven to work in wider clinical trials, says Ian Sample, writing in the Guardian.
The liver is usually one of the body's most resilient organs and is the only one capable of regenerating after damage or injury. But excessive alcohol intake, hepatitis and damage from burns triggers the growth of fibrous scar tissue inside the liver which spreads and eventually destroys its ability to carry out crucial tasks such as combating infection and breaking down toxins.
Researchers led by Dr Martina Buck at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, found that damage to the liver caused a specific group of cells known as hepatic stellate cells to go into overdrive and churn out large amounts of collagen, a tough connective tissue. At normal levels collagen helps to heal wounds, but too much causes excessive scarring. The scientists then found that the cells only overproduced collagen in response to a chemical signal carried by a protein in the body called RSK. This signal, they realised, was critical to the progression of liver
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