Hepatic stimulator substance from human fetal liver for treatment of experimental hepatic failure.

The authors previously reported the successful reversal of lethal D-Gal induced hepatic necrosis in rats by human hepatic stimulator substance (hHSS), a liver specific growth factor partially purified from human fetal liver cells, which promoted hepatocyte proliferation. In this study, they further investigated the mechanism of hHSS in improving survival of experimental acute hepatic failure. Our results demonstrated that the level of alanine transaminase and endotoxin in the plasma and lipid peroxides in the liver of chemically poisoned rats were reduced by hHSS to different extent at different periods of observation compared with the saline control group. The apparent recovery of liver function and the increase of 3H-TdR incorporation into hepatic DNA correlated with the morphologic changes observed under light and electron microscopes, showing that the damages inflicted on the cellular and subcellular structure in the liver of hHSS-treated rats were greatly alleviated and rapidly repaired. Therefore, hHSS, which can prevent liver deterioration and promote hepatocyte regeneration, may be a new hepatic stimulator factor readily available for clinical use.