Heart disease is one of the biggest health problems in the world. In the United States alone, it causes about one in every four deaths. That means millions of people lose their lives each year because of it, especially due to a specific type called coronary artery disease.
This illness happens when the blood vessels that carry oxygen to the heart become narrow or blocked. When that happens, it can lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Scientists have been trying to figure out why this disease happens and how to stop it. A research team at the University of Virginia Health recently made an important discovery that could help us understand coronary artery disease better — and possibly treat it more effectively in the future.
One of the lead researchers, Mete Civelek from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, has been studying the cells that line our blood vessels. These are called smooth muscle cells. Normally, these cells help protect us.
For example, they can form a kind of “cap” over a buildup of fatty material (known as plaque) in the blood vessels. This cap keeps the plaque stable and prevents it from breaking off and causing a stroke.
But here’s the strange part: sometimes, those same smooth muscle cells actually do the opposite. Instead of protecting us, they help the plaque grow bigger and more dangerous. Scientists have been puzzled by this — why do these helpful cells sometimes turn harmful?
To answer this question, a PhD student named Noah Perry studied smooth muscle cells collected from people who had received heart transplants. He looked closely at which genes were active in these cells. Genes are like tiny instructions inside our bodies that tell cells how to behave.
What Perry found was surprising. The way these cells acted — whether they were helpful or harmful — seemed to be connected to how they used certain types of nutrients, especially nitrogen and sugar. More specifically, the problem seemed related to glycogen (a type of sugar our body stores for energy) and a simple sugar called mannose.
The researchers think that if these nutrients are used in the wrong way, it might trigger the cells to change from helpful to harmful. Mannose, in particular, might play a role in this shift. However, they say more research is needed before we can know for sure.
Why is this important? If scientists can figure out what causes the smooth muscle cells to start damaging blood vessels, doctors might be able to stop that process before it happens. This could lead to new treatments that keep blood vessels healthy and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Civelek explained that even though we already have useful medicines, like drugs to lower cholesterol and control blood pressure, they’re not enough. Heart disease is still a leading cause of death around the world. That’s why we need to keep searching for new ways to fight it.
The team — including Perry, Diana Albarracin, Redouane Aherrahrou, and Civelek — hopes that by studying how these blood vessel cells behave, they’ll uncover new ways to help people. Their work gives hope that in the future, we might be able to prevent heart disease in more people and save more lives.
The research was published in the journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about top 10 foods for a healthy heart, and how to eat right for heart rhythm disorders.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat your way to cleaner arteries, and salt and heart health: does less really mean more?
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