Protein is Atherosclerosis Marker

A protein previously suspected in hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis is indeed a marker for the disease, researchers have confirmed.

Atherosclerosis is a disease of the major arterial blood vessels that is often known as hardening of the arteries; it is one of the main causes of heart attack and stroke.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

An important first step in the disease is a process known as intimal thickening, whereby the intimal layer of arterial blood vessels becomes thicker because cells known as smooth muscle cells (SMCs) migrate to the area and proliferate.

The protein sLRII is thought to play a key role in this process, although its specific mechanisms of action and significance are poorly understood.

Now, Hideaki Bujo of the Chibe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, Wolfgang Schneider of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, and their colleagues reveal that sLRII is important for SMC migration.

Angioplasty
Arteries supplying the heart is sometimes blocked by plaque leading to heart attack.Angioplasty is a method by which a part of the blocked artery is expanded to place a stent.Once this is done normal blood flow resumes and the heart regains its normal function.

Levels of sLRII in the bloodstream were shown to be associated with intimal thickening in patients with poorly regulated abnormal levels of fat in the blood.

Furthermore, intimal thickening was markedly reduced in mice lacking sLRII.

Animation on Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG)
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) is performed to restore the blood supply to areas of heart that have been reduced or has no blood supply due to blockage in the artery.

SMCs from these mice failed to migrate in response to stimulation, indicating that the reduced intimal thickening probably results from reduced SMC migration.

Source-ANI
RAS/L

Animation of heart attack symptoms
Heart attack can cause symptoms such as Chest pain or discomfort, Shortness of breath and pain in neck, back, arm, or shoulder and is due to blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles