When severely or chronically injured, the liver loses its ability to regenerate.
A new study now describes a safe new potential therapeutic tool for the recovery of liver function in chronic and acute liver diseases.
Researchers utilized the lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated messenger RNA (mRNA-LNP) currently used in COVID-19 vaccines, to deliver regenerative factors to injured livers in a timely, controlled fashion. "We found that this intervention successfully induces the rapid expansion of the functional cells of the liver, the hepatocytes, as well as harnesses recovery of liver function," explained the senior author.
Safety of mRNA-LNP has been validated in clinical trials for applications such as cancer immunotherapy and more recently the first approved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
In the study, the researchers used two experimental models in which the liver was injured. The first group was injected with mRNA-LNP producing liver mitogens. The second group was injected with a control RNA-LNP that didn't produce any protein. The models that received the injection of mitogen mRNA-LNP cleared the liver damage more rapidly and efficiently than those injected with control RNA-LNP.
There are currently no FDA-approved drugs to treat chronic liver diseases. New strategies that will prevent progression of the liver disease before it reaches the irreversible stage of decompensated cirrhosis are desperately needed.
"Administering liver mitogens via mRNA-LNP reverts steatosis (accumulation of fat in liver cells), one of the first phases of liver disease progression. Similarly acute liver injuries, such as acetaminophen overdose, are lacking efficient treatment in clinic. Here one injection of liver mitogen mRNA-LNP is sufficient to accelerate liver repair that may be vital to prevent liver failure in acetaminophen overdosed patients."
Given these experimental results, the researchers hope that the delivery of mitogens with mRNA-LNP could be potentially translated to the clinic to prevent progression of chronic liver diseases and even revert some of the features of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-20903-3
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fmurine-liver-repair-via&filter=22
Lipid nanoparticle-mRNA (LNP-mRNA) to treat liver failure
- 1,451 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
Ancient viral DNA in the hu…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
AI to analyze clumping prot…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Reversible, non-hormonal ma…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Dissection of the schizophr…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Protease action on controll…
By newseditor
Posted 25 May
Other Top Stories
Check-point inhibitors exacerbate NASH induced liver cancer
Read more
AI used to understand asbestos-linked cancer
Read more
Protein rewires cancer cell metabolism to promote metastasis
Read more
The role of hypoxia-inducible factors in tumor growth and suppression
Read more
Dual treatment to kill small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells
Read more
Protocols
SEMORE: SEgmentation and MO…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Spatially resolved lipidomi…
By newseditor
Posted 24 May
Efficient expansion and CRI…
By newseditor
Posted 21 May
Massively parallel in vivo…
By newseditor
Posted 20 May
Breast cancer-on-chip for p…
By newseditor
Posted 16 May
Publications
Integrating human endogenou…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
The thalamic reticular nucl…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
PMI-controlled mannose meta…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Protein-membrane interactio…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Toward an interventional sc…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar