Improvement in liver fibrosis, functionality and hemodynamics in CCl4-cirrhotic rats after injection of the Liver Growth Factor

Modulation of extracellular matrix by nutritional hepatotrophic factors in thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis in the rat

“…Other substances have proven to be effective: vitamins C, E and C + E (24), losartan (28), gliotoxin (24), pirfenidone (29), relaxin (30), and Han-Dan-Gan-Lee (31) also reduced fibrosis in rat livers. Hepatic growth factor (22), halofuginone (32) and adenovirus with urokinase plasminogen activator (25) induced collagen reduction in cirrhosis models. It should be pointed out that treatment with pirfenidone reduced 40% of the fibrosis induced by CCl 4 (23).…”

“…The reduction of ALT (-17.6%) and AST (-12.2%) also points to a reduced hepatocellular necrosis, decreasing the cycles of cell death and fibrotic regeneration that are characteristic of the cirrhotic process. Other treatments also improved hepatic conditions in fibrosis and cirrhosis models with down-regulation of enzymes of hepatic function, such as gliotoxin (21), hepatic growth factor (22), pirfenidone (23), vitamins C and E (24), urokinase plasminogen activator (25), and partial hepatectomy (26).…”

Liver growth factor treatment restores cell-extracellular matrix balance in resistance arteries and improves left ventricular hypertrophy in SHR

“…The aim of the present study has been to gain further insight in the regenerative cardiovascular actions of LGF treatment in SHR, assessing its effects on intramyocardial and mesenteric resistance arteries (MRA) and LVH. Furthermore, we have investigated if the restoration of arterial cell/ECM disbalance by this factor is linked to a mitogenic effect on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), as previously described in other cell types (26,35,52). …”

“…The chemical analysis of LGF obtained from human and rat plasma has revealed that it is a covalently bound albumin-bilirubin complex (24,25). The regenerative effects of LGF, initially described in hepato-biliary disorders (22,23,26), have been recently extended to other diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (35, 52), testicular degeneration (51), and pulmonary fibrosis (47).LGF treatment also has cardiovascular effects as previously shown in rodent models of hypertension (62) and atherosclerosis (65). We have previously demonstrated that treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with LGF significantly reduced blood pressure, which was associated with a reduction in extracellular matrix (ECM) content and improvement of vasodilator function of conduit arteries (62).…”

“…The chemical analysis of LGF obtained from human and rat plasma has revealed that it is a covalently bound albumin-bilirubin complex (24,25). The regenerative effects of LGF, initially described in hepato-biliary disorders (22,23,26), have been recently extended to other diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (35, 52), testicular degeneration (51), and pulmonary fibrosis (47).…”