In a new study from the University of South Florida, researchers made a key discovery as to why we become more susceptible to heart disease as we age.
The human body, especially the heart, is dependent on the mitochondria, the part of the cell responsible for producing energy to maintain organ function.
The protein, Sesn2, is located inside the mitochondria and plays a pivotal role in protecting the heart from stress.
In the study, the team found levels of Sesn2 diminish over time, which weakens the heart and can cause it to lose functionality.
They found that an insufficient level of Sesn2 is the reason older individuals are at greater risk of heart attack and other heart complications. This indicates stabilizing the protein could be the answer to maintaining a healthy heart.
It’s common for people who’ve experienced cardiac arrest to have a stent inserted into a blood vessel to relieve an obstruction or are prescribed medications designed to prevent blood clots.
While they may offer rapid relief, these treatments can cause further injury to the heart. There are currently no known treatments available to prevent those potential side effects.
The researchers found focusing on Sesn2 can keep mitochondria functional integrity, offsetting such complications.
Through biochemical analysis and high-powered microscopes, they could see Sesn2 deficiency caused cells to die in older mice, inducing a heart attack.
The team says the age-related Sesn2 is a critical player in mitochondria. Maintaining the cardiac Sesn2 levels could make the heart energetic and against age-related heart disease.
The uncovering of Sesn2’s significance helps advance the development of new therapeutic treatments.
The tam says the method would likely be a familiar one. Gene therapy or pharmacological approach could be considered to maintain the cardiac Sesn2 signaling pathway to strengthen the heart in aging.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about acting quickly after heart attack symptoms start can be a life saver and findings of this cheap drug combo could lower heart disease risk.
For more information about heart disease prevention and treatment, please see recent studies about this common drug may protect against heart attacks in a unique way and results showing that these foods may worsen heart failure.
The study is published in Redox Biology. One author of the study is Dr. Ji Li.
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