Estradiol accelerates liver regeneration through estrogen receptor α

We previously demonstrated that liver resection triggers estradiol production, which, in turn, induces the proliferation of hepatocytes to promote liver regeneration in mice. In this study, we demonstrated estradiol-induced estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression. To further explore the role of ERα in estradiol-mediated liver regeneration, in the present study, we confirmed impaired liver regeneration ability in ERα knockout mice. Further analysis during liver regeneration revealed a role for ERα in hepatic steatosis, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin 6 expression, and nuclear factor-κB and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 DNA-binding activities. Moreover, estradiol administration accelerated liver regeneration through ERα, indicating the feasibility of the estrogen-ERα axis as a target for accelerating the rate of liver regeneration.