Publications by authors named "Tadashi Moro"
Article Synopsis
- The liver has a strong ability to regenerate after injury, but this process is often hindered in cases of advanced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, where mature liver cells struggle to divide and replicate.
- Researchers have identified a specific population of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing cells in mice that are stimulated by Jagged1/Notch2 signaling in fibrotic livers, potentially contributing to liver regeneration.
- An increase in AFP-positive cell numbers is observed after liver injury, and this process is enhanced following liver surgery, indicating a complex interaction between activated liver cells and AFP-expressing hepatocytes mediated by Jagged1 and Notch2 pathways.
Article Synopsis
- Mitochondrial oxidative stress is believed to play a significant role in accelerating liver fibrosis, but its direct impact remains unclear due to a lack of experimental models focused solely on oxidative stress effects.
- In a study using Tet-mev-1 mice, researchers found that high-fat/high-sucrose diets, when combined with mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), led to increased lipid peroxidation and liver fibrosis, particularly in older mice.
- The findings suggest that mitochondrial ROS, when paired with excessive calorie intake, enhances liver fibrosis through elevated CC chemokine production, emphasizing the importance of age in this process.
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is considered to be a major factor contributing to liver fibrosis. We have previously shown that nuclear translocation of YB-1 antagonizes the TGF-β/Smad3 signaling in regulating collagen gene expression. More recently, we have demonstrated that the novel small compound HSc025 promotes nuclear translocation of YB-1, resulting in the improvement of skin and pulmonary fibrosis.
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- Recent studies indicate that bone marrow-derived cells help with wound healing in skin by producing collagen type I, but their exact role in the process is still unclear.
- Researchers used transgenic mice with specific genes linked to fluorescent and luciferase markers to track these collagen-producing cells during skin wound healing.
- Findings showed that while most collagen production during healing comes from resident skin cells, some CD45-positive cells from bone marrow do contribute to collagen production in response to bleomycin, indicating a partial role of bone marrow cells in skin repair.
Background & Aims: Recent studies have reported that bone marrow (BM)-derived cells migrating into fibrotic liver tissue exhibit a myofibroblast-like phenotype and may participate in the progression of liver fibrosis. However, their contribution to collagen production has not been fully verified yet. We revisited this issue by using 2 mechanistically distinct liver fibrosis models introduced into transgenic collagen reporter mice and their BM recipients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Glycyrrhizin has been widely used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. It decreases the serum levels of aminotransferases, and suppresses progression of liver fibrosis as well as subsequent occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Although previous studies have shown that glycyrrhizin and its metabolite inhibit collagen gene expression, its underlying mechanisms are virtually unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aims: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) regulate diversified cellular functions and often act antagonistically against each other. For example, TGF-beta is the most potent factor accelerating liver fibrosis, whereas HGF treatment prevents its progression. Here, we propose a novel molecular mechanism by which HGF counter represses TGF-beta-stimulated profibrogenic signal transduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe in vivo effects of glycyrrhizin on restoration of liver mass and recovery of liver function were compared with those of epidermal growth factor (EGF), ibuprofen and dexamethasone in 70% partially hepatectomized rats. Hepatic regenerative activity was assessed based on the ratio of liver weight to 100 g body weight, and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation into hepatocyte DNA in the remnant liver. Glycyrrhizin (50 mg/kg/day, i.
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