Estradiol accelerates liver regeneration through estrogen receptor α.

We previously demonstrated that liver resection triggers estradiol production, which, in turn, induces the proliferation of hepatocytes to promote liver regeneration in mice. In this study, we demonstrated estradiol-induced estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression. To further explore the role of ERα in estradiol-mediated liver regeneration, in the present study, we confirmed impaired liver regeneration ability in ERα knockout mice. Further analysis during liver regeneration revealed a role for ERα in hepatic steatosis, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin 6 expression, and nuclear factor-κB and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 DNA-binding activities. Moreover, estradiol administration accelerated liver regeneration through ERα, indicating the feasibility of the estrogen-ERα axis as a target for accelerating the rate of liver regeneration.