2023-05-17 12:41:30
life sciences. More and more people are suffering from fatty liver (steatosis hepatis), caused, among other things, by being overweight. The University of Graz researches the molecular effects and new therapies.
Obesity, lack of exercise or long-term use of medication can lead to excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. As a result, the organ performs vital tasks, such as the breakdown of toxins or the production of bile, which is important for digestion, only poorly or not at all. If the obesity lasts longer, it can even trigger serious illnesses such as inflammation, hardening, cancer or type II diabetes, explains the University of Graz in a broadcast.
Harmful fat molecules are no longer broken down sufficiently
Researchers at the University of Graz have now elucidated a molecular mechanism in the development of fatty liver. Specifically, they studied a specific group of proteins called carboxylesterases that are responsible for breaking down harmful fat molecules (publication in Molecular Metabolism: Chalhoub et al.: „Carboxylesterase 2a deletion provokes hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in mice involving impaired diacylglycerol and lysophosphatidylcholine catabolism“).
“The number of these proteins in the liver cells is reduced when we eat too much fat. If there are too few of them, harmful lipids accumulate. This leads to insulin resistance and inflammation in human liver cells,” explains Günter Hämmerle from the Institute for Molecular Biosciences at the University of Graz.
It is hoped that these findings will open up new possibilities for treating diseases of the organ at the molecular level. “It would be conceivable, for example, to stimulate the formation of proteins with certain active ingredients and thus prevent malignant liver changes from developing,” says the researcher.
Developing effective therapeutic approaches is particularly important because more and more adults in industrialized countries are affected by fatty liver, according to Hämmerle. Increases are also recorded among children and young people. At the same time, the scientist points out that you can do a lot yourself to avoid the disease. A low-fat diet, less alcohol and regular exercise contribute significantly to this.
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