The liver is not only the largest internal organ but also vital for human life as a metabolic center. It also possesses remarkable self-healing powers: even when large portions are removed, such as during surgery, they quickly regenerate in healthy individuals. However, in cases of repeated or chronic injury to the liver tissue, as caused by excessive alcohol consumption or viral hepatitis, this regenerative capacity fails. Scarring occurs, known as fibrosis, where liver cells are replaced by fibrous tissue. The liver hardens and becomes increasingly unable to perform its function in the worst case, this leads to liver failure.
To better understand the scarring process, a research team led by Thomas Reiberger, Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at MedUni Vienna and Adjunct Principal Investigator at CeMM, examined gene activity in two different mouse models exhibiting varying degrees of liver disease severity, also capturing certain phases of spontaneous regression of the disease.
At the same time, important indicators of disease severity, such as portal venous pressure, blood markers of liver injury, or the extent of liver fibrosis based on liver tissue samples, were recorded. The study, “Transcriptomic signatures of progressive and regressive liver fibrosis and portal hypertension,”was published in the journal iScience.
By CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Article can be accessed on: MedicalXpress