Biochemical signals associated with atherosclerosis may damage other organs

(12 April 2008: VIDYYA MEDICAL NEWS SERVICE) -- Many scientists view atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, as a localized disease characterized by the build up of fatty plaques in the arteries, which can eventually cause heart attacks and strokes. Now, in a finding that challenges conventional knowledge, researchers in New York and North Carolina report that plaques formed in arteries are associated with certain harmful chemical reactions that can contribute to damage in the lungs, liver, and other organs.

The findings suggest that the effects of atherosclerosis are more widespread than previously believed, the researchers say. The study could lead to new targets for developing drugs that could help prevent or reduce these chemical changes that appear to accompany heart disease, the number one cause of death in the U.S., according to chemist Rita Upmacis.

Scientists are closing in on the root causes of the disease. One of the more promising lines of research focuses on the body’s production of nitrotyrosine, a chemical which has been linked to Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, and other disorders.

In the new study, Upmacis and colleagues worked with laboratory mice that have atherosclerosis. Mice that are genetically prone to atherosclerosis and fed a high-fat diet developed high levels of nitrotyrosine in their heart, lung, liver, and kidney. By contrast, mice that were fed regular diets showed no such increase. The rise in nitrotyrosine levels suggests that high-fat diets in animals with atherosclerosis can help trigger nitrotyrosine accumulation in the proteins of various organs, the scientists say.

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