MicroRNA: key to unlocking a heart disease cure?
Researchers are closing in on explaining the cause of hardened arteries
US scientists say they have significantly improved their understanding the process of vascular calcification, a main risk factor for heart disease.
Researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have shed light on the connection between a microRNA molecule, which is naturally produced by the body, and vascular calcification. According to their findings, ageing leads organisms to produce less microRNA molecules, thus increasing the chance of vascular calcification.
Vascular calcification, which affects millions of patients around the world, is responsible for the hardening of the arteries (arthrosclerosis) and a resulting reduction of blood supply. This may eventually lead to blockage that can cause a heart attack or a stroke. Thanks to this new discovery, hardening of the arteries could theoretically be prevented or reversed by increasing the number of microRNA molecules in the body.
“MicroRNAs can easily be injected into the body,” Lina A. Shehadeh, assistant professor of medicine in the Cardiovascular Division and investigator in the Miller School's Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, said in a press release.
“While further laboratory studies and clinical trials are needed, we can hypothesize that raising the levels of this microRNA could slow or even reverse the process of vascular calcification.”
Shehadeh adds that currently there is currently no cure for vascular calcification. “While certain medicines can slow the process, currently there are no treatments to reverse the calcification once it has occurred,” she says.
Further links:
Medicalnewstoday.com
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