In a new study, researchers found reducing inflammation may lead to better outcomes in people with a heart attack.
The research was conducted by a team from Vanderbilt University and elsewhere.
Myocardial infarction, commonly called heart attack, remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, raising an urgent need for novel therapies.
Previous research has shown that a heart attack provokes an inflammatory response in the heart that removes damaged tissue to promote repair and regeneration.
Overactive and/or prolonged inflammation impedes healing.
The team previously had identified a subpopulation of regulatory B lymphocytes in the fat tissue that secretes interleukin-10 (IL-10).
It is an anti-inflammatory cytokine which protects against obesity-associated insulin resistance.
In the current study, they found IL-10-producing B cells in mice also are highly enriched in fat tissue around the heart.
Following a heart attack, the cells increase in number and move to the damaged heart, where they terminate inflammation and protect against further injury and dysfunction.
The team says that IL-10-producing B cells are novel targets to improve the outcome of a heart attack.
Their findings may help develop a better treatment for heart attack patients.
The authors of the study include Lan Wu, MD, and Luc Van Kaer, Ph.D.
The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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