Heart disease is the number one cause of death in many places, including the United States. In fact, about one out of every four deaths in the U.S. is caused by heart disease.
One of the most dangerous types is called coronary artery disease.
This happens when plaque, a sticky substance made of fat and other materials, builds up inside the arteries and blocks the flow of blood to the heart. This blockage can cause heart attacks and strokes.
To better understand and treat this disease, scientists are always doing research. Now, a new study from the University of Virginia Health has made an exciting discovery. The researchers have found that the cells lining our blood vessels might play a surprising role in heart disease.
These cells are called smooth muscle cells. They usually help keep blood vessels strong and flexible. They can also create a protective cover over plaque to stop it from breaking and forming dangerous clots. But in people with heart disease, these same cells can act in the opposite way—they may help plaque grow, making the disease worse.
This has been a mystery. Why would these helpful cells start causing harm?
To find out, Dr. Mete Civelek and his team, including student Noah Perry, studied smooth muscle cells from heart transplant donors. They looked at the genes in these cells to learn what might be going wrong.
They found something surprising. The problem may have to do with how these cells use certain sugars and nitrogen. Normally, the body stores sugar in a form called glycogen, which cells can use for energy.
But if something goes wrong in how cells process glycogen and nitrogen-related molecules, the cells may change. Instead of protecting the arteries, they may start to damage them.
One sugar, called mannose, was especially interesting. The scientists think it might be involved in the harmful behavior of the cells. However, they need to do more research to understand this connection fully.
This discovery is important because it could lead to new ways to treat or prevent coronary artery disease. Right now, doctors use drugs like statins to lower cholesterol and medicines to control blood pressure. These help, but they don’t work well for everyone. That’s why new treatment ideas are so important.
Dr. Civelek explained that understanding what causes smooth muscle cells to switch from good to bad could help researchers design better treatments in the future.
The team, which includes Perry, Diana Albarracin, and Redouane Aherrahrou, is continuing to explore this discovery. They hope that by understanding the basic science behind heart disease, they can help create treatments that work better for more people.
While scientists keep working, there are still many things we can do to protect our hearts. Eating healthy food, exercising often, avoiding smoking, and managing stress can all lower your risk. Some vitamins, like vitamin D and vitamin K, may also help by reducing swelling in the body and keeping blood vessels healthy.
This new study, published in the journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine, adds an important piece to the puzzle. It helps explain how blood vessel cells that are meant to help us can sometimes cause harm. And it brings hope that, in the future, we’ll have better ways to treat and prevent heart disease.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that Manganese can help clear arterial plaques and treat heart disease and Aspirin use linked to heart failure.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the blood thinner drug that can prevent strokes in people with hidden heart issues and new guidelines on daily aspirin for heart attack and stroke prevention.
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