Local Study Finds Synthetic Vitamin D Might Ease Liver Disease

A synthetic form of Vitamin D might ease the impact of chronic liver disease, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced Thursday.

In mice-testing, the man-made type of Vitamin D known as calcipotriol deactivates cells that produce proteins causing fibrosis—tough, fibrous scar tissue that eventually leads to the need for an organ transplant.

In research published in the journal Cell, Salk scientists said stress from chronic conditions like hepatitis or alcoholism causes stellate cells to expand production of fibrosis proteins, leading to cirrhosis and an increased risk of liver cancer.

Calcipotriol, currently used to treat psoriasis, apparently switches stellate cells off, according to the researchers.

"Current therapeutic approaches, which treat the symptoms of liver disease, don't stop liver fibrosis from progressing," said Michael Downes, a senior staff scientist in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory and co-author on the paper. "In liver diseases where the underlying cause cannot be cured, progression to cirrhosis is currently inevitable in some people."

Previous studies have shown that Vitamin D is involved in liver function.

The Salk scientists said potential treatments would focus on the synthetic form of the vitamin, since too much of the natural kind can lead to too much calcium in the blood, which would result in nausea, muscle weakness and other problems.

Clinical trials are being planned. Officials said the finding might help lead to treatments of fibrous lung, kidney and pancreas diseases.

—City News Service