The liver is the biggest solid organ in the human body. It helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, regulates blood clotting, and most importantly, removes toxins from your blood. It is an essential organ that performs more than 500 vital bodily functions; therefore, maintaining a healthy liver is very important. The liver is also capable of regenerating itself by replacing the liver cells damaged by toxins. However, in cases when the liver is diseased, it can often stop regenerating, which could result in major health issues. Cancer researchers have recently made a breakthrough regarding liver regeneration mechanisms that could revolutionize the treatment of liver diseases.
The Role of Glutamate In Liver Regeneration
Many liver diseases, such as chronic liver damage, are growing in prevalence due to lifestyle choices such as alcohol consumption and poor diets. Therefore, it has become a priority that we learn how the liver regenerates itself. This would help create treatments for patients with liver disease, or those who lost part of their liver during a tumor removal, for example. National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) researchers from Spain recently discovered a vital mechanism that takes place straight after the liver experiences acute damage. This process is triggered instantly, and glutamate, an amino acid, seems to play a major role.
According to the study’s author, Nabil Djouder, “Our results describe a fundamental and universal mechanism that allows the liver to regenerate after acute damage.” It was previously established that liver regeneration occurred through the production of liver cells called hepatocytes. Yet, researchers still did not fully understand the molecular mechanisms that drove this proliferation. This current discovery is very unique, though, as it revealed a communication that occurs between the liver and bone marrow. According to the news release statement from the CNIO, this communication involves the immune system.
This is where the amino acid glutamate comes into play. When the liver experiences acute damage, the hepatocyte liver cells produce glutamate, which then enters the bloodstream. The glutamate travels through the bloodstream and enters the bone marrow, where a type of immune system cell called a monocyte is activated. These cells then turn into another kind of immune cell called macrophages as they make their way towards the liver. The macrophage’s metabolism is reprogrammed by the glutamate, which subsequently starts to produce a growth factor. This, in turn, results in an increase in hepatocyte production.
An Ingenious Perspective
To put it in simpler terms, the rapid succession of events following liver damage enables glutamate to trigger liver regeneration in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, this generation is made possible through macrophage metabolism changes. According to the study’s author, “it is a new, complex and ingenious perspective on how the liver stimulates its own regeneration.” The researchers also learned how the different parts of the liver work together during the regeneration process. The liver is divided into various sections where different types of hepatocytes perform specific metabolic functions. It was found that the hepatocytes that produced glutamine synthetase played an important role in liver regeneration.
When this protein is inhibited, more glutamate enters circulation, thus accelerating liver regeneration. When the glutamate increases, the connection is made with the bone marrow, reprogramming the macrophage’s metabolism, and accelerating the production of hepatocytes. Based on these new findings, the study’s author says that “dietary glutamate supplementation may simply be recommended in the future after liver extirpation, and also to reduce liver damage caused by cirrhosis.” They also hope to learn more about how this kind of supplementation may help patients who have undergone liver resection for the removal of a tumor.
The Bottom Line On Liver Regeneration
This study reveals a potent mechanism that allows the liver to heal rapidly following acute injury. Researchers discovered that glutamate initiates communication between the liver and bone marrow within minutes of damage. This activates immune cells, which stimulate the creation of liver cells, or hepatocytes. The discovery could result in new treatments for various liver diseases and post-surgical rehabilitation. Supplementing with dietary glutamate may aid in the healing process following liver injury or tumor resection. These findings represent a significant advancement in our understanding of liver regeneration. The more we learn about how the body heals itself, the more we can accelerate the process.
Read More: 5 Common Food and Drinks That Can Be Just as Bad for Your Liver as Alcohol
