Researchers from Shanghai Renji Hospital have made a major breakthrough with American scientists in discovering how the immune system works to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The discovery was published on this month's Hepatology, a world leading medical journal on liver diseases.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can affect anyone but is more often found in middle-aged people suffering from obesity, diabetes or high cholesterol levels.

Because of unhealthy lifestyles and rich diets, NAFLD has become the leading chronic liver disease in developed countries and the second leading disease in developing countries.

The discovery by the researchers from Renji Hospital shows that the regulatory T cell, an immunity system cell, plays an important role in preventing the deterioration of the liver. It is the first time that scientists have found a connection between the cell and the disease.

"Controlling the deterioration of the liver is a key in preventing liver damages," said Dr. Ma Xiong from Renji Hospital's digestive medicine department and the vice director of the Shanghai Digestive Disease Institute.

The research launched by Dr. Ma's group and a medical team from the Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine in the US, found that regulatory T cells are involved in the liver function. Patients with fatty hepatitis have a lower amount of regulatory T cells compared with other people.

"The research may lead to drugs that can control fatty liver by targeting regulatory T cells," Dr. Ma said.

(Shanghai Daily November 29, 2007)