Spermidine suppresses the activation of hepatic stellate cells to cure liver fibrosis through autophagy activator MAP1S

Liver diseases present a wide range of fibrosis, from fatty liver with no inflammation to steatohepatitis with varying degrees of fibrosis, to established cirrhosis leading to hepatocellular carcinoma. Previous studies found that natural spermidine levels decrease drastically with steatohepatitis progression and that spermidine supplementation helps mice prevent liver fibrosis through MAP1S. In this experiment, Shi et al measured MAP1S levels in patients with liver fibrosis and tested the effects of spermidine supplementation on on hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and liver fibrosis. They found that MAP1S levels decrease as fibrosis progresses and that spermidine supplementation suppressed HSC activation and improved levels of liver fibrosis.