Recently, a new study by the University of Washington School of Medicine in the United States shows that a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) has a previously unknown role in protecting the liver from harm.
The main function of HDL is to remove cholesterol from the body and send it to the liver for processing
Gwendalyn J.
Any form of intestinal injury will affect the impact of Gram-negative bacteria on the human body
Some premature babies suffer from a fatal disease-necrotizing enterocolitis, which is an inflammation of the intestinal tract that requires surgery to remove part of the intestine
The researchers studied this problem in a mouse model: They removed part of the mouse's small intestine and studied the resulting liver fibrosis
"However, no one thought that HDL would move directly from the intestine to the liver, which requires HDL to enter the portal vein
When HDL3 makes a "short journey" along the portal vein, it binds to a lipopolysaccharide-binding protein called LBP
The first author of the study, Yong-Hyun Han of Gangwon National University in South Korea, said that as a protein and fat complex, HDL3 uses its combination with LBP to bind to lipopolysaccharide
He said: "We believe that only when LBP binds to HDL3 will it cause hindrance in the body, so lipopolysaccharide cannot activate inflammatory immune cells
Researchers have found that when HDL3 in the intestine is reduced, liver damage will be more serious, such as surgical removal of part of the intestine
Randolph said: "We found that when the part of the intestine that produces the most HDL3 is removed by surgery, the liver results will be very bad, and HDL3 knockout mice will also have more severe liver inflammation
In all these intestinal injury models, the researchers found that HDL3 has a protective effect, combining with extra lipopolysaccharide released from the injured intestine and blocking its downstream inflammatory effects in the liver
The researchers further showed that the same protective molecular complex also exists in human blood, indicating that a similar mechanism exists in humans
Although this drug is only used in animal research, the research reveals new possibilities for treating or preventing liver disease
Related paper information: http://doi.
org/10.
1126/science.
abe6729
http://doi.
org/10.
1126/science.
abe6729
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