Una bióloga de la Universidad de Navarra descubre un tratamiento para el daño isquémico en los trasplantes de hígado
University of Navarra biologist discovers treatment for ischemic damage in liver transplants
María Iñiguez, researcher at CIMA, has shown that cardiotrophin-1 prevents the onset of hepatic deterioration due to ischemia-reperfusion.
María Iñiguez, a researcher at the area Gene Therapy and Hepatology of the research center Applied Medicine of the University of Navarra (CIMA), has discovered the role of cardiotrophin-1, a protein produced naturally by the body, in the prevention of liver damage.
According to the biologist, this advance will make it possible to "eliminate the negative effects suffered by this organ if a resection -total or partial removal- is carried out, or a transplant is performed, which are common operations in the treatment of primary or metastatic tumors". In these situations, the liver suffers the consequences of ischemia-reperfusion damage, caused by the transient interruption of blood circulation to avoid excessive blood loss during the intervention.
"When this occurs, it can lead to severe liver failure in the postoperative period and reduce the viability of the graft," he explains. It also influences the fact that a relatively high percentage of available organs cannot be used, which reduces the possibilities of donation.
In her doctoral thesis , defended at the University of Navarra and directed by Dr. Prieto, María Iñiguez found that the administration of recombinant cardiotrophin-1 triggers endogenous protective mechanisms that block liver cell death. This promotes a regenerative response that protects the animals: "In the absence of this protein, genetically modified mice suffer greater liver damage due to ischemia-reperfusion".
Therefore, the administration of this cytokine as palliative therapy would allow more extensive liver resections with less risk, "so that patients with this cancer who do not meet the requirements currently established for surgery could benefit from treatment by surgery," explains the biologist. issue In addition, its use would increase tolerance to ischemic injury of the so-called marginal organs -those discarded due to age, pre-established damage, etc.- and would increase the number of organs available for transplantation. He even stresses that "the therapy could be effective in living donors".