Home
Bupa members

Support and offers for individual members and customers

Aspirin potential for liver treatment

29 January 2009

This is a piece of early research in mice, and it is much too early to draw any conclusions about whether this would work in humans

British Liver Trust

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that aspirin may one day help treat liver damage. But the British Liver Trust caution that the findings are in mice and cannot be applied to people.

A spokesperson from the charity said: "This is a piece of early research in mice, and it is much too early to draw any conclusions about whether this would work in humans."

Researchers from Yale University looked at mouse liver cells that had been damaged by paracetamol overdose. They found that aspirin reduced the damage caused by the paracetamol.

"The study showed that aspirin decreased inflammation in mouse liver cells, which decreases overall injury," Professor Wajahat Mehal, one of the authors of the study, told the Bupa health information team. "The sequence of events that cause inflammation can be linked to a number of human conditions which include liver damage such as that caused by paracetamol or alcohol."

He added: "The exciting factor is that aspirin can be used in humans. It is widely available and is a cheap drug to produce." However, Professor Mehal said that the research team were unable to give doses or recommendations until clinical trials were carried out.

"We have started to plan the human trials, which may mean it could be recommended for use in one to two years," he explained. "This drug may be made available more quickly than other trials because it isn't an unknown agent and the safety of the medicine has been widely researched."

But the British Liver Trust warned: "There is no evidence that aspirin can protect you from a paracetamol overdose or long-term heavy drinking, and this is a dangerous conclusion to draw from this study. Aspirin can be particularly dangerous for people who already have liver problems.

"People who have taken a paracetamol overdose need immediate medical treatment, even if they feel well. They have a very limited time window to get treatment before suffering irreversible liver damage."

Key facts
  • Liver disease is one of the top five causes of death in the UK.
  • Liver diseases include liver cancer, liver failure, liver cirrhosis, hepatitis and Gilbert syndrome.
  • Inflammation is the body's response if it is damaged. The tissue becomes red, swollen, warm and can be painful.
  • The liver has more than 500 functions such as helping the body digest food, fighting infections, storing essential nutrients and making hormones.

Related information

 

Bupa health insurance

Bupa health checks