Posted on 12/25/2005 6:13:25 PM PST by neverdem
University of Washington researchers have revealed that, in mice with atherosclerosis, it is the expression of an active form of the enzyme MMP-9, by macrophages located within plaque buildup in narrowed coronary arteries, that triggers plaque rupture. This rupture can cause blood clots and block blood flow to the heart and brain, causing a heart attack or stroke. The results appear online on December 22 in advance of print publication in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Atherosclerosis involves the slow buildup of fatty substances, cholesterol, collagen and elastin fibers, macrophages, and other molecules in the arterial lining, which results in formation of a plaque that can partially or totally block the flow of blood. It has been previously suggested that macrophages play a key role in inducing plaque rupture as rupture-prone lesions have been shown to be macrophage-rich.
Elaine Raines and colleagues devised a strategy to overexpress matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the macrophages of advanced atherosclerotic lesions in mice. The authors found that macrophages secreting an autoactivating form of MMP-9 enhanced elastin breakdown in the surrounding extracellular matrix that physically stabilizes the plaque, and consequently induced plaque rupture. MMP-9 and factors that regulate its activation may be potential therapeutic targets for stabilizing rupture-prone plaques.
Bush's Fault!
OK - what IS MMP-9 and what is the practical application of this insight.
MMP-9 is an enzyme. If you've identified the causative agent in a process, that's the first step toward controlling the process, and thus preventing heart attacks.
MP-3's are okay......
I hate MMP-9.
"MMP-9 and factors that regulate its activation may be potential therapeutic targets for stabilizing rupture-prone plaques."
Hope they find those factors which activate it soon!
"MMP-9 and factors that regulate its activation may be potential therapeutic targets for stabilizing rupture-prone plaques."
Right ---but what are the PRACTICAL ramifications - it must have something to do with mother-in-laws or such.
And you can listen to them while playing with your MP-5. Or your MP-40, if your prefer the 'classics'.
My 19 year old daughter asked me the other day, "What's an LP?".........I suddenly felt very old.........
In a couple years, after an anti-MMP9 campaign, "Missing MMP-9 causes strokes!"
Glad you're okay.
Recently I've become a devotee of omega-3 fish oil capsules, which (among other things) are alleged to benefit the subclinical inflammation that attends arterial plaque building. It seemed important to me (and one of those no-harm things) since my body's an inflammation machine. I just went and googled to see if these oils are linked to reduction of MMP-9... yup:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22mmp-9%22%2C+%22omega-3%22+OR+%22fish+oil%22+OR+%22oily+fish%22
In particular, http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1112613 seems especially authoritative.
The first question I had when reading the article was, OK what supplement is going to help me with this?
Thanks for the tip.
I had the same deal with a 5x bypass and several Angioplasties thereafter to open up occluded grafts. The Angioplasties weren't too bad- during one of them I was awake enough to chat about single-malt scotches with the surgeon. The bypass had complications, though.
I hope you're feeling better. It'll be a little while before you feel 100% again, but you should. I eat a lot of garlic now , exercise as often as I can and drop a few pounds when I start getting pain again. That's kept me off the table for over a year now.
Its because of family history. Both sides have extreme heart problems.
But, I already do a lot of supplements as such and I still ended up with it. They got me on lipitor as well as all the range of heart meds. I have brothers and a sister who are on lipitor and they are doing OK with it. Diet and all this stuff and hopefully it works out. The Dr seems to think that we "might" be able to reverse the other blockages with proper management.
Has anyone heard of that?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.