Researchers Discover New Mechanism for Rapid Liver Regeneration to Restore Damaged Livers

[SorellaLaBefana]

Yes. Good News Network does use the above pix of a kidney model to lead off their article reporting on a liver study. However, looking beyond that (and the usual hype), there was some solid (if preliminary mouse data)that there may be a role for glutamate (a conditionally essential aminoacid) supplementation in people with liver damage.

Obvious caveats: 1) PRELIMINARY mouse study; 2) Finding a reliable source of glutamate since by congressional act a few years ago (in response to manufacturer lobbying) such products are entirely excluded from FDA regulation—save when they cause harm to a degree that it shows up in the news, only then FDA can step in to take some, often weak, actions

...The research also clarifies a previously unanswered question: how the various areas of the liver are coordinated during regeneration. In the liver, there are different types of hepatocytes, organized in different areas; the hepatocytes in each area perform specific metabolic functions. The study reveals that hepatocytes producing a protein known as glutamine synthetase, which regulates glutamate levels, play a key role in regeneration.

...when glutamine synthetase is inhibited, there is more glutamate in circulation, which accelerates liver regeneration. This is what happens when the liver suffers acute damage: glutamine synthase activity decreases, blood glutamate increases...

According to Djouder, “dietary glutamate supplementation may simply be recommended in the future after liver extirpation, and also to reduce liver damage caused by cirrhosis.”...

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/researchers-discover-new-mechanism-for-rapid-liver-regeneration-to-restore-damaged-livers/

Here is a link to the free abstract of the original paywalled study in Nature:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08778-6

For my own part, if I had significant liver damage, as glutamine (which is metabolically converted into glutamate+ammonia) is available as a prescription pharmaceutical I would try to get someone to prescribe it off-label. I'm unsure if I would risk OTC preparations.

[tanyev]

1. I hope it works.

Gonna be a lot of damaged livers with our new Secretary of HHS out there pushing Vitamin A.

[hlthe2b]

2. Caution on your comment: Excessive Glutamine can cause ammonia intoxication, ESPECIALLY in those

with ongoing liver dysfunction. In the latter, blood levels of glutamine may already be high.

There is a body balance and going with "blind" supplementation may actually be quite harmful.

It is not just the OTC drugs (e.g., tylenol) that can be quite liver toxic. So, too can nutritional supplements--even those containing the amino acids normally required by the body.