Indian-origin scientist finds a new way to treat a heart attack

By: Editorial Team | | Published: October 16, 2014 3:43 pm

A heart attack is something that can kill you. But what is essential here, is the fact that you can survive after a heart attack and reduce the damage done to the muscles of the heart with early intervention. But now there is drug that can help keep your heart healthy even after a heart attack. An Indian-origin scientist has found that some scar-forming cells in the heart have the ability to turn into cells that form blood vessels, which are required to boosts the heart’s ability to heal after an injury, suggesting a new approach to treat heart attack. The team of researchers he led also found that a drug could enhance this phenomenon – turning the scar-forming cells in the heart, known as fibroblasts to endothelial cells that form blood vessels – and improve the repair process after a heart attack. Also Read - Commonly used blood pressure medications safe for COVID-19 patients

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‘Our findings suggest the possibility of coaxing scar-forming cells in the heart to change their identity into blood vessel-forming cells, which could potentially be a useful approach for better heart repair,’ said the study’s senior author Arjun Deb, associate professor of medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles in the US. ‘It is well known that increasing the number of blood vessels in the injured heart following a heart attack improves its ability to heal,’ Deb added. (Read: 10 things that happen during a heart attack) Also Read - Hypertension: Regulate blood pressure with these 5 yoga poses

Through experiments on mice in which scar-forming cells in the heart were genetically labelled, the researchers discovered that many of the fibroblasts in the heart’s injured region changed into endothelial cells. This process contributed directly to blood vessel formation – a phenomenon they called mesenchymal-endothelial transition or MEndoT. The researchers also identified a molecular mechanism that regulated MEndoT and found that administering a small molecule to augment MEndoT led to less scarring and allowed the heart to heal more completely. The study appeared in the journal Nature. (Read: Heart attack symptoms everyone should know)

Here are 8 simple tips to prevent a second heart attack

Kick the butt: Cigarette smoking damages your heart s rhythm, arteries and lowers the amount of good cholesterol in your body, thereby increasing your risk of a second heart attack. Consider this, the chances of the recurrence of a heart attack decreases by half if you quit smoking. Also, staying way from exposure to secondhand smoke also goes a long way in preventing its recurrence.

Eat healthily: A healthy and well-balanced diet is the key to a healthy heart. Cut down your intake of saturated fats, as these fats clog the arteries leading to an attack and add foods like those containing omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and magnesium as they help lower your blood cholesterol levels.

Avoid fats: People who have had a heart attack should avoid foods rich in trans-fats such as cookies, margarine, fries, donuts, etc. These foods lead to an increase in your cholesterol levels as compared to saturated fats. Substitute them with greens, fruits and whole grains to improve your heart health. Read more about 8 simple tips to prevent a second heart attack

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

Published : October 16, 2014 3:43 pm

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