α-1-antitrypsin inhibits acute liver failure in mice.

Unlabelled: Acute liver failure remains a critical clinical condition, with high mortality rates, and increased apoptosis of hepatocytes represents a key event in the cause of liver failure. Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) is synthesized and secreted mainly by hepatocytes, and plasma purified AAT is used for augmentation therapy in patients with AAT deficiency. Because AAT therapy exerts antiinflammatory and immune modulatory activities in various experimental models, and it was recently suggested that AAT exerts antiapoptotic activities, we aimed to explore whether administration of AAT may represent a therapeutic strategy to treat acute liver failure in mice.