Cancer of the liver rare in the United States but the third-leading cause of cancer death worldwide can result from environmental exposures or infections like chronic hepatitis, but the link is poorly understood.
Chronic Hepatitis - is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ.Liver is among the most important body organs because it participates in the vital functions of a person’s body. Detoxification of toxins, generation of glucose, storage of glycogen, breaking down of amino acids, protein formation and generation of digestive juices and bile pigments are top functions performed by liver.
Now, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a mechanism in mice that triggers inflammation in the liver and transforms normal cells into cancerous ones. In addition, they demonstrated in a mouse model that a particular micro-RNA (miR-124) a member of a recently discovered class of molecular regulators could be harnessed to treat or even prevent liver cancer.
The Dana-Farber team found that miR-124 and another key controller of the feedback circuit, HNF4α, showed reduced activity in the cancer cells. HFN4α is an essential factor in formation of liver cells and their proper function. When HNF4α is suppressed, said Iliopoulos, it creates a temporary state of inflammation in the cell a forerunner of cancer.
Because HNF4α and miR-124 interact with each other, the scientists hypothesized that boosting activity of miR-124 might restore normal activity in HNF4α, halting the runaway inflammatory cycle and causing tumors to stop growing.
