Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor
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Cirrhosis of the liver, an irreversible condition usually caused by heavy drinking, may be reversible after all.
Experiments in mice show that the condition may be prevented — and the liver allowed to recover — if a protein activated by liver injury can be silenced.
Experiments by the same scientists show that humans with damaged livers have the same protein, which suggests that the findings could one day lead to a treatment.
A team at the University of California in San Diego has shown that the excessive scarring in mouse cirrhosis is caused by the activation of a protein called RSK. It produces large amounts of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) which create the collagen that forms the scars.
It is the scarring, which occurs in response to liver injury, that causes permanent damage and prevents the organ from regenerating.
Dr Martina Buck and colleagues developed a small protein, or peptide, that blocked the creation of RSK. Mice given a toxin that causes cirrhosis developed the condition, but those given the RSK-blockers at the same time as the toxin did not develop it. The peptide also activated an “executioner” protein which killed scarring cells but not normal cells.
The mice continued to be given the liver-damaging toxin throughout the study. While the treated mice began to recover, the condition of the control group worsened, the team reports in PLOS Online.
Dr Buck said: “All control mice had severe liver fibrosis, while all mice that received the RSK-inhibitory peptide had minimal or no liver fibrosis.
“The HS cells continue to do their normal, healing work but their excess proliferation is controlled. Remarkably, the death of HSCs may also allow recovery from liver injury and reversal of liver fibrosis.”
Almost 800,000 people die from cirrhosis each year worldwide. The condition has a number of causes, but alcoholism and infection by the hepatitis C virus are the most common. Currently there is no treatment.
Tissue samples taken from patients with liver disease were found to contain active RSK, while those from healthy people did not, suggesting that the same model applies in humans.
The research may have implications for many other conditions besides liver cirrhosis. Excessive tissue scarring is also found in pulmonary fibrosis in the lungs, scleroderma — a chronic disease which causes hardening of the skin — and burn injuries.
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My mother found out she had Cirrhosis caused by Hepatitis C about 15 yrs ago. My mother has never had a drink in her life. The reason she contracted this disease is through a blood transfusion she had, many years before. She has been living with this "silent killer" waiting for a cure.
Claudia, Beaumont, USA
I have cirrhosis of the liver. I am LDS (Mormon) and don't drink...at all! They're not quite sure why I have cirrhosis, but I'm always a bit shy about saying WHY I only have half a decade to live...when I say "cirrhosis" people always assume I'm a binge drinker.LOL
Be kind, people.
Kate, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
hi to all
my father is an chronic alcholic patient nd suffering from cirhosis from last one year which medicines should be taken to cure this diseas
nikhil jaiman, Baroda, India
My Dad is infected with Liver cirrhosis, Could you please guide me regarding the treatment. and whether it is fatal or no. He had had been having problems with his digestive system since the past two years, but only recently has been diagnosed with cirrhosis, please help me!!
Roma, Lucknow, India
Hi All,
My father got Liver Cirhosis due Hepatitis C Virus. He has got good appetite, however, doctors are unable to control "Pleural Effusion". We are doing Pleural Effusion every 7th or 8th day and to recover the loss we give Human Albumin.
Please suggest what else we do to stop Pleural Effu
Niket Misra, Bangalore, India
I have been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol abuse. I work, have my own house and car which are both paid for so I'm not a "bus stop bum" alcoholic, I just thought I was invincible but obviously I am not!
Just think about it the next time you crack open a bottle of vodka..
Sean, South Shields, England
If these results truly would reverse liver cirrhosis, then this is fantastic news for those of us who are living with this disease. If there is any progress or any way to fund this type of research, I would be very happy to help in any way.
Emily, Dumfries, USA
I hope the people who make remarks so insensitve to people dying get what is coming to them. I am married with a child on the way with a rare liver disease that strikes 1 in 100,000 people, and now will only see 5 to 10 years of my childs life. I hope you take a long look at the way you live your life I do. In case your wondering my condition is called primary schlorosing cholingitous or psc.
jeremy, gilbert, az
It always makes me smile when i see moralising on a certain issue, this tie cirhossis. Ignorant people who have no idea the difficulty in getting help when one is labelled an abusive drinker. Cirhossis can be caused by a plathora of reasons.
I would also like to say that people should have a good look in the mirror before criticsing...what about materialiasm, adultery, under age sex, slander, selffishness...many of these comments come from poisoned minds, just not drunken ones...i would rather die young and an alcoholic than turn into one of you pre-judging philistines!
DR, Brighton, UK
To all of the people that made derogatory remarks about a possible "cure" for cirrhosis.
Please think about people like my husband who have the disease through no fault of their own.
My husband has a deficiency, which is little known about in general public, which causes cirhossis, even if you don't touch alcohol. It is called "Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency". It is apparently undiagnosed in a large proportion of the population, especially people being treated for Emphysemia. I just hope that those of you making derogatory remarks are not
one of the undiagnosed.
Carole
Surrey
carole, surrey, uk
Alcoholism is an illness not an open invitation to abuse.
Jan, Stoke on Trent, Staffs
As someone who has hepatitis c and cirrhosis as a result, undergoing extremely difficult treatment which has a 50/50 chance of working and with sever toxic side efffects, I am so very heartened by this news. ps I don't drink alcohol....
Anon, Cheltenham,
Hopefully this will also help those with other chronic liver diseases which are nothing to do with alcohol, like the auto immune disease Primary bilary cirrhosis.-- It is a shame any illness relating to the liver has the cirrhosis tag on it, which kicks off the nasty remarks we see here.
JRB QLD Australia
Judi Bourseguin, Gold Coast, Australia
It should be available in bars without prescription!!!
Dave, London, UK
Oh that's good news for all the binge drinking cretins who litter the streets at the weekend. They may as well roll around in the gutter if the NHS will fork out millions to 'make them better'.
Judy , Liverpool, england
Alcoholics pay huge amounts of tax on their habit, so they should be entitled to treatment just like anyone else. And without drinkers and smokers, we would probably pay twice as much for road tax and VAT.
CL, bristol, bristol
Should be afforded to anyone willing to be the "first" humans to use the new medicines no matter status of liver or by means acquired. Those first volunteer patients for new medical procedures are real heros.
Grace E., Washington D.C., D.C.
While this is absolutely great news, when this treatment is began on humans, it should first go to patients who have contacted the disease by other means than alcohol consumption and then alcholics should be monitored ensuring that this is not a wasted or abused treated for them continue abusing their bodies but a second chance to stop a deadly habit.
Darlene, Loganville, Georgia
As I recall, from a Time story some years ago (which I cannot locate), researchers at Imperial College Hospital London had developed the means to regenerate the liver through some sort of external assist device - much like those external heart assist pumps used by recovering heart transplant patients.
Could The Times re-run that story or an update on this development?
Larry, Middletown, USA/NY
Well there is hope for all us alcholics now !! ching ching !!
At this time of year it is irresponsible to highlight such findings !!
JC, Glasgow, Scotland