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2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Does portal pressure in chronic liver disease decrease as liver fibrosis improves?

Research Project

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Project/Area Number 20K08338
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 53010:Gastroenterology-related
Research InstitutionOsaka Metropolitan University (2022-2023)
Osaka City University (2020-2021)

Principal Investigator

Uchida-Kobayashi Sawako  大阪公立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 准教授 (60382074)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) LE THITHANHTHUY  大阪公立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 特任講師 (10572175)
小谷 晃平  大阪公立大学, 大学院医学研究科, 病院講師 (50711793)
Project Period (FY) 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Keywords門脈圧亢進症 / 慢性肝疾患 / 肝線維化 / HVPG
Outline of Final Research Achievements

We established a method to measure portal vein pressure from a cubital vein to diagnose portal hypertension. When hepatitis C virus (HCV) is eliminated by direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for chronic type C liver disease, liver function and liver fibrosis markers improve, but we found that portal vein pressure and esophagogastric varices worsen in some cases even after HCV elimination, and that M2BPGi and liver elasticity are useful for predicting the worsening of varices. We also found that HCV elimination can be expected to improve cellular function and portal hypertension even in patients with decompensated type C cirrhosis, and that pre-treatment splenic volume is useful for predicting improvement in portal hypertension.
We are also continuing to analyze the mechanism behind the decrease in portal vein pressure by creating an improved fibrosis model in animal experiments.

Free Research Field

肝臓病学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、C型肝炎において抗ウイルス治療によりHCVが排除されると、肝線維化および細胞機能、門脈圧亢進症の改善が期待できることが明らかとなり、進行例においても抗ウイルス治療の意義が示された。一方、門脈圧亢進症の改善が乏しい例もあり、抗ウイルス治療の限界も明らかとなった。慢性肝疾患の予後を改善するには、原因排除のみでなく、肝線維化および門脈圧に関連するメカニズムを解明し、それをターゲットとした新たな治療法の開発が必要である。
門脈圧低下に関連するメカニズムおよび門脈を主とする腹部血管系の再生機構を解明できれば、組織修復に関わる病態医学理解の構築に寄与すると考えられ、その意義は大きい。

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Published: 2025-01-30  

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