The liver has an extensive regeneration capacity compared to other organs. However, repetitive injury—for instance, from chronic viral infection or the increasingly common nonalcoholic fatty liver disease—can lead to severe long-term damage for which the only treatment is organ transplantation.
One of the challenges in tissue regeneration is to induce organ growth without also bringing about tumor formation or other abnormalities. A new study published today (November 15) in Cell Reports Medicine suggests that bacteria causing leprosy may hold the key to boosting the organ’s regenerative capacity. Specifically, the authors found that nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) infected with Mycobacterium leprae developed enlarged livers without any visible damage.
“I think this is clear proof that there’s [regenerative] mechanisms that we weren’t aware of that are happening in mammals,” says Nina Tirnitz-Parker, a liver disease and regeneration researcher at the Curtin Medical School and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute in Australia. In ...
