Abstract
BACKGROUND During pregnancy, the rodent liver undergoes hepatocyte proliferation and increases in size, followed by weaning-induced involution via hepatocyte cell death and stromal remodeling, creating a pro-metastatic niche. These data suggest a mechanism for increased liver metastasis in postpartum breast cancer patients.
OBJECTIVES Investigate if the human liver changes in size and function during pregnancy and weaning.
METHODS Abdominal imaging was obtained in healthy women at early and late pregnancy, and post-wean. During pregnancy time points, endogenous glucose production was measured and fasting blood taken to measure bile acids.
RESULTS Independent of weight gain, most women’s livers increased in size with pregnancy, returning to baseline post-wean. Putative roles for bile acids in liver growth were observed in pregnant women and rodents.
CONCLUSIONS The human liver is regulated by reproductive state with growth during pregnancy and volume loss post-wean. These findings may have broad implications for sex-specific liver diseases and cancer.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Funding sources OHSU Center for Women’s Health Circle of Giving to PS, KV and JP. DoD grant #BC170206 to PS. OHSU School of Medicine Dean’s Fund to PS, AC, AQ. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), #R01DK098707 to KV.
The author order on the submission form was corrected to reflect the PDF we originally uploaded.
