Diabetes often brings serious heart problems like heart attacks, heart failure, and atherosclerosis, which are leading causes of death among diabetic patients.
A new discovery by Monash University researchers may offer fresh hope.
They have found that a natural fat molecule, called “lipoxin A4” (LXA4), could become a powerful tool in treating diabetes-related heart disease.
The study, published in Cardiovascular Diabetology, highlights LXA4’s ability to reduce inflammation and improve heart function.
LXA4 is known as the body’s “calming agent” because it turns off inflammation, preventing damage caused by chronic conditions.
“Chronic inflammation plays a major role in heart disease for diabetic patients,” explained Dr. Chengxue Helena Qin, the senior researcher from the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “We found that LXA4 could cut inflammation and scar formation in half in diabetic hearts in our preclinical studies.”
Heart inflammation in diabetic patients is usually treated the same way as for other heart disease patients. However, this research could lead to more targeted therapies specifically designed for diabetic heart disease, making treatments more effective.
“By combining LXA4-based therapies with regular blood sugar management medications, patients could benefit from improved outcomes,” said Dr. Phillip Kantharidis, another researcher from the team.
One of the most exciting findings is how LXA4 interacts with the immune system. According to Ting Fu, a Ph.D. candidate at Monash and the study’s first author, LXA4 stimulates reparative macrophages. These are special white blood cells that reduce scarring in the heart caused by chronic inflammation and help the heart function better overall.
The next step is creating a stable drug version of LXA4 that could be used in real-world treatments. The team is also exploring whether this molecule could help treat other inflammatory diseases or cardio-pulmonary conditions.
This promising discovery could transform how diabetic heart disease is managed, offering hope for better health and longer lives for millions of patients worldwide. With further research, LXA4 might become a key part of therapies targeting inflammation-related damage.
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