Depletion of NOX4 protein improves liver regeneration

The liver is an organ able to regenerate after some damage, since its cells can proliferate and recover the lost or damaged tissue. A study published in the journal Redox Biology states that the depletion of the NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) protein stimulate the proliferation of liver cells and liver regeneration. This discovery puts the NOX4 protein at the center of attention as a potential therapeutic target, since its inhibition could help boost liver regeneration in patients with chronic diseases.

The team that carried the study out is led by the lecturer Isabel Fabregat, from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB, and member of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Liver and Digestive Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBEREHD). In the framework of the study, researchers Macarena Herranz-Itúrbide and Judit López Luque observed that mice that did not express NOX4 –in general, or specifically in the liver– recovered the liver tissue and showed a higher survival after a liver resection. The study counted on the relevant collaboration of the group led by Natalia Török, from Stanford University in California (United States).

Previous studies had suggested NOX4 inhibition to be a therapeutical tool for chronic diseases that cause fibrosis in the liver. As Isabel Fabregat notes, in this study, we have confirmed that its therapeutic application could also benefit liver regeneration, without negative effects on its correct termination."

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