'Unknown' cellular pathways offer new hope for end-stage liver disease

Scientists have discovered an unknown cellular pathway that can help physicians better understand end-stage liver disease.

A team of researchers in the University of Arizona's College of Pharmacy has discovered a molecular pathway that could be key to creating new therapeutics that would slow or even reverse the progression of end-stage liver disease.

According to the National Institutes of Health, cells keep oxidative stress under control through various mechanisms and most of these mechanisms involve Nrf2, a protein present in virtually every cell that acts as a molecular switch.

The researchers said that Nrf2 activates various biochemical mechanisms inside the cell that capture reactive oxygen molecules or dispose of damaged cellular components before they can cause more trouble. The antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables exert their healthful benefits by capturing reactive oxygen molecules.

The study was published in the journal Genes and Development.