A study by the Eurecat, technological center, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, with the Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGI), reveals the relationship between low levels of histidine in the blood and fatty liver disease. Published in the scientific journal "Cell Reports Medicine," the research suggests new therapeutic opportunities to improve liver health in patients with obesity.
This research focused on exploring the relationship between fatty liver disease and histidine, an essential amino acid with important functions in the body. The results show that histidine has a significant inverse relationship with fat accumulation in the liver.
The research team from IDIBGI and CIBEROBN reached this conclusion by examining three different groups of people, totaling 651 healthy individuals with varying degrees of fatty liver.
The validation of the results was carried out in collaboration with Eurecat in assays using four different preclinical models, including rodents and the “fruit fly” (Drosophila Melanogaster). In all models, dietary supplementation with histidine improved the condition of fatty liver, reducing the expression of genes involved in fat synthesis and triglyceride levels in the liver.
"Dietary supplementation with amino acids is well-known and safe, and the fact that our treatment has worked in different preclinical models makes us think that it could be successfully translated to people affected by fatty liver," explains Dr. Xavier Escoté, researcher at the Nutrition and Health Unit of Eurecat.
The results of this research could lead to exploring possible future treatments, such as dietary supplementation with histidine or modification of the microbiota, to improve liver health in patients with obesity. The study's first authors are Dr. Anna Castells-Nobau, a researcher at IDIBGI, and Sergio Quesada-Vázquez, a researcher at Eurecat.
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