TACKLING LIVER INJURY WITH NEW DRUG

A new drug spurs liver regeneration after surgery, according to a paper published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Liver cancer often results in a loss of blood flow and thus oxygen and nutrients to the liver tissue, resulting in deteriorating liver function. Although the diseased part of the liver can often be surgically removed, the sudden restoration of blood flow to the remaining liver tissue can trigger inflammation -- a process known as ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). IRI results in part from the deposition of immune proteins called complement on the surface of liver cells, causing them to die and thus impairing liver regeneration.

Complement inhibitors effectively dampen IRI, but the benefits of this approach come at a cost, as certain complement proteins are also required for liver tissue to regrow. A group of scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina now show that a novel complement inhibitor reduces complement-mediated liver cell death and actually stimulates post-surgery liver regrowth in mice. The novel inhibitor limited the deposition of complement proteins and promoted the division of new liver cells. Even after removal of as much as 90% of the liver, treatment increased survival from 0% in untreated animals to an impressive 70%.

The selectivity of this novel complement inhibitor, and its unexpected ability to promote liver regeneration, suggests that it might represent a new treatment strategy for a variety of liver injuries in humans.

WILD BERRY EXTRACT BOOSTER FOR PANCREATIC CANCER DRUG

A wild berry native to North America may strengthen the effectiveness of a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat pancreatic cancer, reveals new research.

The team at King's College Hospital and University of Southampton tested the effectiveness of the extract of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) in killing off cancer cells, probably by apoptosis (programmed cell death).

Chokeberry is a wild berry that grows on the eastern side of North America in wetlands and swamp areas.

The berry is high in vitamins and antioxidants, including various polyphenols - compounds that are believed to mop up the harmful by-products of normal cell activity.

"The promising results suggest that these polyphenols have great therapeutic potential not only for brain tumours but pancreatic cancer as well," commented Harcharan Rooprai from the King's College Hospital

The researchers used a well-known line of pancreatic cancer cells in the laboratory to treat with a combination of gemcitabine drug and chokeberry extract.

The analysis indicated that 48 hours of chokeberry extract treatment of pancreatic cancer cells induced cell death at 1 ug/ml.

The toxicity of chokeberry extract on normal blood vessel lining cells was tested and found to have no effects up to the highest levels used (50 ug/ml).

It suggests that the cell death effect is happening in a way other than through preventing new blood vessel formation (anti-angiogenesis), a process that is important in cancer cell growth.

"These are very exciting results. This could change the way we deal with hard to treat cancers in the future," said Bashir Lwaleed from the University of Southampton.

"Adding nutraceuticals to chemotherapy cycles may improve the effectiveness of conventional drugs, particularly in hard to treat cancers, such as pancreatic cancer," researchers concluded.

The study was published online in the Journal of Clinical Pathology.