Studies have found that ancient diseases have the potential to regenerate the liver?!

Leprosy is one of the oldest and most persistent diseases in the world, but the bacteria that cause leprosy may also have a surprising ability to
grow and regenerate vital organs.

Scientists have found that parasites associated with leprosy can reprogram cells to make the livers of adult animals larger without causing damage, scarring or tumors
.

The findings suggest that it is possible to use this natural process to renew an aging liver and increase a person's healthy lifespan – the length of
time disease-free living.

Experts say it could also help regenerate the damaged liver, thereby reducing the need for a transplant, which is currently the only treatment option
for patients with end-stage liver damage.

Previous studies have promoted the regeneration of mouse livers through an invasive technique that promotes the regeneration of mouse livers by generating stem and progenitor cells (the latter step of stem cells, which can become any type of cell for a specific organ), a technique that often leads to scarring and tumor growth
.

To overcome these harmful side effects, the Edinburgh researchers built on
the ability to reprogram parts of the cells of their previously discovered leprosy-causing bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae.

The team, working with the U.
S.
Department of Health and Human Services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, infected 57 armadillos (the natural reservoir of leprosy bacteria) with parasites and compared
their livers to those of uninfected armadillos and those found to be resistant to infection.

They found that the infected armadillo's liver was enlarged, but healthy and unharmed, and that important components of the liver, such as blood vessels, bile ducts and functional units called lobules, were identical
to those of uninfected and drug-resistant armadillos.

The team believes that the bacteria "hijack" the liver's inherent ability to regenerate, thereby increasing the size of the organ, thereby providing more cells for it to grow
.

They also found several indicators that the main liver cells of infected armadillos — known as liver cells — had reached a state
of "rejuvenation.
"

The liver of an infected armadillo also contains gene expression patterns — the blueprints that build cells — similar to those found in the livers of young animals and human fetuses
.

Genes associated with metabolism, growth, and cell proliferation are activated, and genes associated with aging are downregulated or inhibited
.

Scientists believe this is because the bacteria reprogrammed liver cells to return them to the earlier progenitor cell stage, which in turn became new liver cells and grew new liver tissue
.

The team hopes that this finding may help develop interventions
that target aging and damaged livers in humans.
Currently, 2 million people die globally each year from liver disease
.

The findings were published in the journal Cell Reporter Medicine
.
The research was supported by grants from the UK Medical Research Council, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
.

Lead author Professor Anura Rambukkana, from the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Regenerative Medicine, said: "If we can determine how bacteria grow into a functional organ in living animals without adverse effects, we can translate this knowledge into developing safer therapeutic interventions to rejuvenate an ageing liver and regenerate
damaged tissue.
"