A healthy heart today might be able to fight off a severe injury in the future.
It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but recent studies suggest it’s possible.
The Power of Early Treatment
Until recently, Prof. Eldad Tzahor and his team at the Weizmann Institute of Science thought the idea was pure fiction. Heart problems, which are a leading cause of death, aren’t seen as issues you can prepare for in advance.
But the team has made a surprising discovery. They worked with mice and activated a process in their healthy hearts that made these hearts strong against future injuries.
This means that the mice’s hearts could heal even after getting hurt later on.
They want to be clear: this isn’t ready for humans yet. But the research, shared in Nature Cardiovascular Research, makes us rethink how we see the heart’s healing powers.
Unlocking the Heart’s Hidden Ability
The study was all about the heart cells, called cardiomyocytes. These cells stop multiplying shortly after birth. This is a problem when someone has a heart attack.
Many of these cells die, and the body can’t replace them. This is why heart attacks are so harmful and can weaken the heart’s ability.
But Tzahor’s earlier work showed something promising. When they activated a particular gene, ERBB2, in these cells, the cells started dividing again.
This was surprising, but there was a catch. The heart’s performance dropped for a bit. However, after turning off the gene, the heart cells specialized again, and the heart function improved.
The Potential for a Stronger Heart
The new experiment was about understanding how these treated hearts healed themselves. The treated hearts seemed normal, but on a closer look, the researchers saw differences at the genetic level.
This made them wonder if the ERBB2 gene could be tweaked to make the heart stronger and younger.
To find out, they tried the process in reverse. They first activated the gene in healthy mice and then turned it off.
Later, they checked how these mice’s hearts dealt with injuries. The results were astonishing: treated mice recovered much better than untreated ones.
The findings suggest that the gene might have long-lasting effects, potentially strengthening the heart against future injuries.
Tzahor compares this to a young person getting treatment to protect them from heart issues in their older years.
This research is a significant step, but it’s still early days. The idea of preparing a heart today to fight future injuries is revolutionary. But before it can help humans, there’s much more to understand and explore.
If you care about heart attack, please read studies about new early warning sign for heart disease, and this popular weight loss diet linked to higher heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about diabetes drug that could help treat most people with heart failure, and results showing acting quickly after heart attack symptoms start can be a life saver.
The study was published in Nature Cardiovascular Research.
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