How our liver regenerates healthy back

Increased blood flow renews the liver

It is indispensable for the metabolism and the detoxification of our body as well as for our immune system. The liver is undoubtedly one of the most important organs in humans. In addition to the vital functions, their ability to regenerate is also unique. As the only organ, the liver can recover in a few weeks if more than half is removed. A German research team has now found out how this remarkable regeneration can be triggered.

The researchers around Professor Eckhard Lammert of the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) have now deciphered the triggers, with which the liver receives its signals for growth, so that its regenerative property begins. This could be crucial in the treatment of fatty liver disease. The study results were recently published in the renowned journal "nature".

Alcohol, bad diet, lack of exercise - often we do not do anything good for our liver. Fatty liver disease is widespread and often recognized late. A German research team has now deciphered how the regenerative properties of the liver are activated. (Image: magicmine / fotolia.com)

Our liver suffers quietly and secretly

Many people suffer from a fatty liver, which often goes unnoticed for a long time. Whether through alcoholism, obesity or diabetes - our liver suffers silently but with dramatic consequences. Left untreated, fatty liver disease can cause serious sequelae ranging from high blood pressure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer to heart attack and stroke.

So the liver gets the signal for regeneration

"In our study of the liver and its blood vessels, we have identified an important trigger for organ growth," says Professor Dr. Eckhard Lammert, Director of the Institute for Beta Cell Biology at the DDZ, in a press release on the study results. His team found that, in particular, increased blood flow and mechanical dilation of the blood vessels in the liver initiate the growth process.

Growth-promoting signals start the self-healing process

"For the first time we were able to show that the blood flow and the dilation of blood vessels (the so-called vasodilation) release growth-promoting signals," explains the professor. His colleague Prof. Michael Roden adds that these findings could be of great importance for the understanding and therapy of fatty liver diseases in obesity and diabetes.

The study results in detail

The researchers were able to prove that increased blood flow through the liver is accompanied by more active growth signals. One of these signals, according to the researchers, is the protein HGF (hepatocyte growth factor). Among other things, this protein plays an important role in embryonic development, cell regeneration and wound healing. HGF also initiates the growth of the liver. Once the liver regains its normal size and new blood vessels have formed, the usual amount of blood flows back through the liver and the regeneration signals stop.

How exactly is the protein HGF released and activated?

As the DDZ researchers report, recognizes the inner wall layer (endothelial cells) of the blood vessels in the liver, the increased blood flow using so-called integrins. These proteins sit on the surface of the endothelial cells. In the case of a mechanical stimulus due to increased blood flow, the integrins activate the receptor Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 (VEGFR3) in the endothelial cells. In turn, VEGFR3 ensures that the aforementioned HGF-type proteins are released and activated. These then initiate the regeneration process of the liver. (Vb)