Aging is a significant factor in the development and progression of obesity-related liver conditions, like metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), towards fibrosis and liver failure. Researchers have identified an increased propensity to ferroptosis in aging livers, leading to cell death. Blocking ferroptosis has shown to rejuvenate old livers affected by metabolic disease.
To understand the progression of non-alcoholic liver disease to cirrhosis, researchers studied the genetic signatures of old livers in mice. They found that aging promotes ferroptosis in hepatocytes, exacerbating liver damage. The genetic signature was also found in human livers with MASLD, with key genes promoting cell death through ferroptosis. Treatment with Ferrostatin-1 reversed liver damage in old mice with MASLD, restoring them to a youthful state.
Furthermore, the impact of ferroptosis in the liver extends to other organs affected by MASLD. The genetic signature was able to differentiate between healthy and diseased hearts, kidneys, and pancreases, indicating that liver damage amplifies ferroptotic stress in other tissues.
Link: https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/study-shows-how-liver-damage-stress-and-aging-might-be-reversible
