Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

Researchers Find A Promising New Approach For Treating Liver Cirrhosis

June 18, 2018 By Elsevier

Increased pressure in the veins leading to the liver, known as portal hypertension (PH), accounts for the majority of medical complications and deaths associated with cirrhosis. Therefore, a tremendous need exists to find drugs that simultaneously treat the multiple pathologies associated with chronic PH. In a study in The American Journal of Pathology, investigators report that treatment with aleglitazar, a dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha/gamma (PPARα/γ) agonist, reduced inflammation, vasoconstriction, angiogenesis, mucosal disruption, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α overproduction in cirrhotic rats with PH. This suggests a promising new approach for treating liver cirrhosis.

“Increased portal inflow resistance and splanchnic (related to internal organs) hyperdynamic circulation are the primary factors in the pathophysiology of PH,” explained Ying-Ying Yang, MD, PhD, MPH, of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine of the National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan. “Nonselective beta-blockers, which lack splanchnic and intestinal effects, have been the mainstay of drug therapy for PH but are limited by their potential for adverse effects. We have found that a newly developed PPARα/γ agonist, aleglitazar, is able to suppress the inflammation, angiogenesis, tissue damage, and fibrosis associated with cirrhosis in the splanchnic, intestinal, as well as the hepatic circulations of cirrhotic rats with PH syndrome.”

Cirrhosis of the liver is a serious condition in which the liver is permanently scarred, often as a result of liver disease, hepatitis C virus, or alcohol or drug use. Liver cirrhosis was the 12th leading cause of death in the United States in 2013, and between 2000 and 2015, death rates for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in the US increased by 31 percent. Cirrhosis is the most common cause of PH and can result in fluid accumulation (ascites), increased spleen size, and swollen veins around the esophagus and intestines.

Researchers found that treatment with aleglitazar for 21 days produced a number of beneficial changes in cirrhotic rats. In the liver, aleglitazar suppressed hepatic fibrogenesis, neoangiogenesis, and vasoconstrictor responsiveness. In the splanchnic system, aleglitazar reduced neoangiogenesis, vasodilatation, and portosystemic shunts. It also decreased intestinal mucosal injury and hyper-permeability.

The dual composition of aleglitazar appears to expand its effectiveness. PPARγ is activated in the liver, PPARα is activated in the intestine, and both PPARα and PPARγ mediate effects in the splanchnic system.

“We know that PH in patients with cirrhosis is primarily initiated through increased levels of circulating soluble TNF receptors and TNF-α. Overall, the therapeutic effects of aleglitazar can be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and anti-TNF-α actions,” explained Dr. Yang. “Our findings as a whole imply that treatment with a dual PPARα/β agonist may be a promising approach to simultaneously control the multifaceted abnormalities of PH syndromes in cirrhosis with a low side effects profile.”

 

Related Articles Read More >

Dexcom One
How Dexcom’s portfolio goes beyond highly-anticipated next-gen G7
A portrait of Stryker executive Siddarth Satish
How Stryker includes users for product design in the digital age
A Medtronic HVAD pump opened up to show the inner workings
Medtronic investigates HVAD pump welds after patient deaths
Galien Foundation 2022 nominees
18 of the world’s most innovative medical technologies

DeviceTalks Weekly.

May 20, 2022
DeviceTalks Boston Post-Game – Editors’ Top Moments, Insulet’s Eric Benjamin on future of Omnipod 5
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech 100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech