Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Gene therapy via hepatic artery to treat liver cirrhosis in dogs
By Horiguchi, Kiyoshi et al.·Published in Journal of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery·2009·Department of Surgery, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Treating liver cirrhosis in dogs with hepatocyte growth factor gene therapy via the hepatic artery.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of beagles with liver cirrhosis, a serious condition caused by long-term liver damage, received a new treatment involving a special gene therapy. This therapy used a human gene that helps liver cells grow and was delivered directly into the liver through a blood vessel. After treatment, the dogs showed improved liver function and less scarring in their livers, which helped them live longer. This promising approach could potentially be used in veterinary medicine for dogs suffering from liver cirrhosis in the future.
People also search for: dog liver cirrhosis treatment · beagle liver disease gene therapy · liver function improvement in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Liver cirrhosis, an irreversible result of chronic liver disease, has had no effective therapy except liver transplantation. We previously reported successful therapy of liver cirrhosis in rats using the hepatocyte growth factor gene. We presently performed hepatocyte growth factor gene therapy in dogs with liver cirrhosis to examine the feasibility for clinical use. METHODS: Liver cirrhosis was established in beagles by administrating dimethylnitrosamine. Naked human hepatocyte growth factor gene or naked LacZ gene was injected repeatedly into livers via the hepatic artery using a porter catheter in dogs with cirrhosis. RESULTS: Human hepatocyte growth factor gene expression was detected in livers by immunohistochemical staining and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum liver function test results improved with hepatocyte growth factor gene therapy, which also inhibited hepatic transforming growth factor-beta1expression and reversed fibrosis in cirrhotic liver, improving survival of the dogs. CONCLUSION: As naked hepatocyte growth factor gene therapy via the hepatic artery proved simple, safe, and effective in larger animals with cirrhosis, this therapy may be clinically applicable.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19221688/