They identify molecule that influences infarcts

• April 26, 2024

The researchers say Blood , the journal of the American Society of Hematology, that the finding could lead to new ways of detecting and treating coronary heart disease , disorder cardiac most common and one of the main causes of death premature in many countries of the world.

It is estimated that one in five men and one in seven women are currently dying from this disease in the world.

The coronary heart disease It happens when the blood vessels fail to bring the heart an adequate supply of blood, and therefore oxygen.

The blood vessels they are covered by a layer, called endothelium , which regulates the circulation of blood. But when the endothelium is injured, a series of mechanisms, called hemostasis , which can lead to coagulation .

It is known that platelets, small cells that circulate through the blood , play a fundamental role in the hemostasis because they can join together to provoke the formation of clots .

Now, scientists from the universities of Leicester Y Cambridge, in England, they managed identify a molecule which plays an important role in the regulation of platelets.

The finding, they say, will help identify people who have more risk of clot formation .  

Platelet deposits

"For a long time we have known that the activity of platelets and the formation of clots vary between different people "explains the teacher Alison Goodall , from the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences of the University of Leicester, who directed the study.

"And now we can identify some of the reasons genetic of this mechanism, "he adds.

In the study, which involved patients of the National Health Service of the United Kingdom who had suffered a heart attack, it was found that those who had suffered the disorder showed certain genetic markers in that protein.

These differences, the researchers say, seem to increase the risk of platelets becoming more "sticky "and they accumulate in deposits to form clots.

According to the scientists, the finding could lead to the development of new drugs that reduce the risk of clots and the number of deaths what causes this disorder.

"This study will help us unravel the complex question of why some people have more risk of heart attack than others," says the professor. Willem Ouwehand, who also participated in the study.

"Someday this could lead to a new generation of drugs that can be used to reduce the risk of this devastating disease," the researcher adds.

The study was part of the project Bloodomics , one of the largest research carried out in Europe on the causes of heart disease .

Source: BBC Science