How to speed up the self-healing of the liver

The liver is known for its ability to regenerate.

But the damage of medications, alcohol abuse, or obesity canIn this case, the organ will fail.But what if, instead, there was a drug that could help the organ recover?

Scientists have found that activating a specific protein with a new drug can help speed up regeneration after severe liver damage or partial liver surgery in mice.

Over the past two decades, researchersidentified a group of 19 proteins called Wnt that play an important role in the control of liver regeneration. In the new work, scientists studied these proteins in more detail. They found that only two of the 19 Wnt genes were functionally present in the liver. Removal of these two Wnt genes also completely stopped the division of liver cells and therefore regeneration.

The researchers then injected the mice with the drug,which performs tasks similar to those of Wnt proteins. It turned out that the drug is able to almost completely restore the functions of division and restoration of liver cells.