Project 454931

People with obesity and type 2 diabetes have a much greater risk of developing liver fibrosis, the formation of scar tissue in the liver. Due to the rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in Canada, the prevalence of liver fibrosis has been rapidly increasing over the past two decades. People with liver fibrosis are at a greater risk of developing liver cancer, cirrhosis, and premature death. Unfortunately, there are no approved medications to treat the 1.5 million Canadians that are currently affected by this disease. The number of patients is estimated to increase to 3.1 million in Canada by 2030 unless new therapies are developed. Research in our laboratory has discovered that a hormone called serotonin may promote the development of liver fibrosis. While it is well known that serotonin is produced in the brain and has a role in making us happy, we now know that most of the serotonin in the body is in fact produced by the intestines separately and that it does not affect the brain function. Rather it may communicate closely with the liver to induce liver fibrosis. Our research will investigate how serotonin produced in the intestines affects liver metabolism by impacting our immune cells and other cells in the liver called hepatic stellate cells, which are known to be responsible for inducing liver fibrosis. Knowing this information will allow us to develop new therapies that may be beneficial for treating liver fibrosis in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes, which currently has no cure.