Removing part of a patient's liver is a very difficult surgery. If the remaining liver tissue does not grow back correctly, patients can suffer from liver failure, a serious complication that can lead to death after liver operations. Doctors do not currently have any approved medicines to specifically prevent this dangerous problem.
For a long time, doctors believed they understood how the liver heals. They thought that plasminogen, a protein that helps blood clots dissolve, was essential for liver regeneration.
However, researchers at Michigan State University recently challenged this idea. They reduced plasminogen in lab mice and found that the animals' healing did not slow down. Instead, their liver cells grew faster, and the organs recovered better after surgery.
James Luyendyk from Michigan State University, who studies blood clotting and liver function, said it is important to accept surprising results. "Science moves forward when you're willing to follow the data, even when it tells you you're wrong," he stated.
This discovery in animals led to faster human studies. Patrick Starlinger, a liver surgeon at Mayo Clinic, saw the university's research. "When we saw the findings from the MSU team, we realized there might be an important connection between this pathway and liver regeneration," Starlinger explained.
This led to a study involving many hospitals. Researchers tested tranexamic acid, a drug used to reduce heavy bleeding. This drug stops the body from dissolving clots too quickly, blocking plasminogen.
The study included patients having part of their liver removed. Those who received tranexamic acid had about one-third the risk of liver failure compared to others. The medicine was particularly helpful for patients with existing liver problems, who are usually at higher risk.
The results, published in the journal Blood, show that changing how the body dissolves clots can greatly improve organ recovery. By questioning an old belief, doctors found a new way to help patients.