Using an innovative 3D imaging technology, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that a part of the liver’s autonomic nervous system undergoes severe degeneration in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The study showed that the degeneration of nerves is correlated with the severity of liver pathology. The findings are being published in the journal Science Advances.
With a global prevalence of about 25 percent, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common hepatic disorder. Approximately one third of all fatty liver cases progress to steatohepatitis, a severe disease seriously affecting the entire metabolism.
In the current paper, researchers explore the nervous system in fatty liver using volume immuno-imaging and light sheet microscopy ― a novel imaging technique, which together offers large-scale 3D visualisation with cellular resolution. According to the study, this technology can reveal even early, minor or hidden structural impairments of the liver.
“Now we know that nerves in the liver have multiple subtle regulatory roles” says Csaba Adori, researcher at the Department of Neuroscience, who led the study. “Their role, however, may be more essential during the fight-or-flight response or when subjected to metabolic challenges. Degeneration of liver sympathetic nerves and abnormal operation of the remaining nerve fibres in the fatty liver could compromise all these functions, which may contribute to further aggravation of the disease, as part of a vicious cycle.”
According to the study, changes in liver innervation are already underway in the early stages of fatty liver disease. As it progresses to more severe steatohepatitis, these impairments become a significant degradation of the nerves. The nerve pathology is also similar in mouse models of fatty liver and in human fatty liver samples. The team hopes this will open new avenues for the treatment of steatohepatitis and portal hypertension, through targeting the liver sympathetic nervous system.
Source: Karolinska Institutet
