A study led by the research group in Digestive and Liver Diseases of VHIR, normalizes the portal hypertension through fecal transplant (therefore, the intestinal microbiota) in a rodent animal sample with fat liver disease (nonalcoholic steatohepatitits or NASH) induced by the diet. The study is published at https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hep.29646" Hepatology.NASH is a disease of the Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease that, besides the accumulation of fat in the liver, induces inflammation and fibrosis. It usually triggers a heavy intestinal dysbiosis (lack of equilibrium in the intestinal flora), as well as resistance to insulin. Actually, the fatty liver disease is becoming the most important chronic hepatic disease worldwide due to its prevalence and the seriousness of its complications that implicate cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and hepatocarcinoma."The main goal of this study was to evaluate experimentally in a preclinical model the role of the intestinal microbiota in the development and regulation of portal hypertension in the fatty liver disease", explains Dr. Salvador Augustin, main researcher of the group of http://en.vhir.org/portal1/area.asp?s=recerca&contentid=187000 Digestive and Liver diseases of VHIR, and assistant doctor at the Hepatology Department of Vall d'Hebron, as well as senior author of the paper. That is why they designed a study of proof-concept to develop in two stages. On the first stage, the researchers defined a model of NASH in rats. By implementing them a specific diet, they provoked the development of intestinal dysbiosis, insulin resistance and portal hypertension. On the second stage, they carried out an intestinal microbiota transplant to the sick rats, coming from the healthy and thin rats.By this means, they could confirm that "the transplant of intestinal microbiota corrects the intestinal dysbiosis, reestablishes the insulin sensibility and, more importantly, normalizes the portal hypertension and the main intrahepatic mechanisms that condition it", confirms Dr. Augustin. Therefore, "the results of the study suggest that the effect of the fecal transplant in the normalization of the portal hypertension is due to a significant decrease of the intrahepatic vascular resistance, associated to an improvement of the endothelial dysfunction thanks to reestablishing the sensitivity to insulin", keeps explaining.Finally, this study suggests new mechanisms and therapy targets as a treatment against portal hypertension in NASH, a disease that although its high prevalence, still needs therapy discovery. Vall d'Hebron celebrates its first NASH DayWithin the frame of the 1st International Day of the Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, organized by https://www.the-nash-education-program.com/ The Nash Education Program, Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Campus has organized a divulgation day in which experts and patients can share the last updates about this disease, a disease that has an impact in 1 every 3 adults and one every 10 children. The Vall d'Hebron University Hospital counts on a specialized program to diagnose and treat this pathology.