You may know NMN from age research. This exciting molecule is a central part of some scientific work and has been able to Health span and life span We have more articles about NMN for you, e.g. about the NMN dosage and more generally about the Vitamin B3 familyThis article will discuss the therapeutic relationship between NMN and liver fibrosis.
From healthy to fibrous liver
The liver plays a significant role in our body with its vital functions. It is not without reason that it deserves to be called the Detoxification organ of humans. Nevertheless, the liver is not spared from diseases and is exposed to a variety of different dangers, such as viral infections or alcohol-related inflammation. At first, the organ copes with the individual diseases, until the liver finally gives up under the flood of constant stress. This manifests itself in a remodeling process known as Liver fibrosis In this process, liver tissue is increasingly replaced by connective tissue. At the heart of this process are the hepatic stellate cells, which, when activated, promote fibrosis of the organ through collagen production. The problem with this remodeling is that the cellular architecture of the liver is destroyed - as if the pillars of a temple were torn down. Reconstruction is difficult and the progression of fibrosis ultimately leads to liver cirrhosis and can even end in carcinoma.
NMN for liver fibrosis
It is not without reason that new strategies for prophylaxis and therapy are being intensively sought. Recently, research has no longer been in the dark, as a new scientific breakthrough may give us a ray of hope. In this study, Zong and colleagues tried to prevent the remodeling process of the liver by means of NMN supplementation. Artificial liver fibrosis was induced in the mouse model by injecting liver-damaging substances such as thioacetamide or carbon tetrachloride. At the same time, the rodents were given a dose of 500 mg per kg of body weight of NMN. A series of different (bio)chemical tests and histological examinations were then carried out to assess the reaction of the mouse liver. Based on the study, Zong and colleagues were able to show that NMN effectively reduced collagen synthesis in the hepatic stellate cells and thus prevented liver fibrosis in mice.
Prevention instead of complications
But how exactly does NMN do this? Let's take a quick look at the effect of NMN: The key to the effect lies in the activation of the hepatic stellate cells. At the molecular level, the liver-damaging substances triggered an increase in oxidative stress. The resulting oxygen radicals led to an inactivation of the protein prostaglandin dehydrogenase in the cell. Due to the lower availability, this enzyme can no longer use its substrate prostaglandin E2 This results in an excess of PGE2. This increased PGE2-Level activated the hepatic stellate cells through its pro-inflammatory effect and thus initiated fibrosis. In this experiment, the molecule NMN prevented the key point of this process by inhibiting the oxidative degradation of PGDH. The study results support the supplementation of NMN as a new preventive measure and therapeutic strategy against liver fibrosis.
Sources
Books
Zong, Z., Liu, J., Wang, N., Yang, C., Wang, Q., Zhang, W., Chen, Y., Liu, X., & Deng, H. (2021). Nicotinamide mononucleotide inhibits hepatic stellate cell activation to prevent liver fibrosis via promoting PGE2degradation.Free radical biology & medicine,162571-581.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.11.014
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