(Press-News.org) Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease with accumulation of cholesterol in the vessel walls. The atherosclerotic plaque is built up throughout life and when it ruptures it leads to heart attack or stroke. T cells are important immune cells able to direct the immune response; they are present in the plaques at all stages and signal to other cells through contact or secretion of cytokines, a type of hormone-like signal molecules. In the present study the researchers have identified a cytokine produced by T cells that can stabilize atherosclerotic plaques and protect them from rupture.
The researchers made the finding when investigating a new mouse model together with scientists at Yale University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the United States.
"When we analyzed the mouse model the result puzzled us. The outcome was opposite to our initial hypothesis", says Anton Gisterå, one of the researchers who conducted the study. "We had to conduct a series of new experiments to understand what was going on, and ended up identifying the cytokine interleukin-17 as a signal that can stabilize plaques".
The possibility to pharmaceutically use this in patients to stabilize their plaques was not assessed in this study, but the findings provide important information on the role of the immune system in atherosclerosis.
"Traditionally, scientists and physicians have viewed atherosclerosis as merely a buildup of cholesterol in the arteries, and the influence of inflammation has not been fully attributed", says Göran K. Hansson, team leader of the Experimental Cardiovascular Research group at the Center for Molecular Medicine, and principal investigator of the study. "We need to explore the inflammatory pathways to find new therapies aside from lowering lipids. We have effective statin therapy, but a substantial risk of heart attacks still remains for treated individuals."
The researchers conclude that their results points toward a possible therapeutic approach to stabilize atherosclerotic plaques. Also, in certain patient groups treated with interleukin-17 blocking therapies for other diseases, this stabilizing pathway might be hampered, therefore these patients should be monitored carefully regarding their cardiovascular health.
###
The Center for Molecular Medicine, established by Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, is a leading research center in Swedish medicine. The present research has been financed with grants from the Swedish Research Council, Heart-Lung Foundation, Stockholm County Council, and the Foundation for Strategic Research and the European Union.
Publication: 'Transforming growth factor-B signaling in T cells promotes stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques through an interleukin-17 dependent pathway', Anton Gisterå, Anna-Karin Robertson, John Andersson, Daniel FJ Ketelhuth, Olga Ovchinnikova, Stefan K Nilsson, Anna M Lundberg, Ming O Li, Richard A Flavell, Göran K Hansson, Science Translational Medicine, online 31 July 2013.
For further information, please contact:
Göran K Hansson, Professor
Center for Molecular Medicine
Department of Medicine, Solna
Tel.: +46 (0) 708-788738
E-mail: goran.hansson@ki.se
Anton Gisterå, Doctoral Student
Center for Molecular Medicine
Department of Medicine, Solna
Tel.: +46 (0) 705-378678
E-mail: anton.gistera@ki.se
Contact the Press Office: http://www.ki.se/pressroom
New signal stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques
2013-08-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Digest this: Cure for cancer may live in our intestines
2013-08-01
ANN ARBOR—Treating a cancerous tumor is like watering a houseplant with a fire hose—too much water kills the plant, just as too much chemotherapy and radiation kills the patient before it kills the tumor.
However, if the gastrointestinal tract remains healthy and functioning, the chances of survival increase exponentially, said Jian-Guo Geng, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Recently, Geng's lab discovered a biological mechanism that preserves the gastrointestinal tracts in mice who were delivered lethal doses of chemotherapy. ...
Bird brains predate birds themselves
2013-08-01
VIDEO:
This video shows the three-dimensional scan of an albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) skull and brain endocast (shown in blue) taken with high-resolution X-ray computed tomography. The specimen is one of more...
Click here for more information.
New research provides evidence that dinosaurs evolved the brainpower necessary for flight well before they actually took to the air as birds. Based on high-resolution X-ray computed tomographic (CT) scans, the study, published ...
'Highway from hell' fueled Costa Rican volcano
2013-08-01
If some volcanoes operate on geologic timescales, Costa Rica's Irazú had something of a short fuse. In a new study in the journal Nature, scientists suggest that the 1960s eruption of Costa Rica's largest stratovolcano was triggered by magma rising from the mantle over a few short months, rather than thousands of years or more, as many scientists have thought. The study is the latest to suggest that deep, hot magma can set off an eruption fairly quickly, potentially providing an extra tool for detecting an oncoming volcanic disaster.
"If we had had seismic instruments ...
Wonders of nature inspire exotic man-made materials
2013-08-01
In this month's edition of Physics World, a group of physicists describe how unique structures in the natural world are inspiring scientists to develop new types of materials with unprecedented properties.
From adhesive tape inspired by the toes of geckoes to a potential flaw-resistant coating of aeroplanes inspired by mother of pearl, the attractiveness centres on one concept -- hierarchical design.
When materials have a hierarchical design, the overall structure is made up of much smaller levels, or generations, of structures that when put together exhibit extraordinary ...
Internet-based training could help in the fight against antibiotic resistance
2013-08-01
Antibiotic prescribing rates for acute respiratory tract infections could be significantly lowered using internet-based training for clinicians, new research has shown.
In a study, led by the University of Southampton and published in The Lancet today (Wednesday 31 July), an internet-based training programme has shown to reduce antibiotics prescribing rates by as much as 62 per cent.
Paul Little, Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Southampton, comments: "The high volume of prescribing antibiotics in primary care is a major driver of antibiotic resistance, ...
Clean water and soap may help improve growth in young children
2013-08-01
Improving water quality and hygiene practices may improve the growth of children, according to a new report. The Cochrane review – authored by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and WaterAid – found evidence of small but significant improvements in growth of children under the age of five who have access to clean water and soap.
Researchers identified 14 studies conducted in low and middle income countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chile, Guatemala, Pakistan, Nepal, South Africa, Kenya and Cambodia) that provided data on the effect of water, sanitation ...
Cleveland Clinic study finds lowest risk treatment for severe carotid and coronary disease
2013-08-01
JULY 31, 2013, Cleveland: Of the three most common treatment approaches for patients with severe carotid and coronary artery disease, patients who underwent stenting of the carotid artery followed by open heart surgery had the best outcomes, according to a retrospective study from Cleveland Clinic published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study compared carotid stenting followed by open heart surgery to both staged and combined carotid endarterectomy and open heart surgery.
For patients with a severe blockage in the carotid artery ...
The flexible tail of the prion protein poisons brain cells
2013-08-01
VIDEO:
Professor Adriano Aguzzi explains how the flexible tail of the prion protein poisons brain cells.
Click here for more information.
Prion proteins are the infectious pathogens that cause Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They occur when a normal prion protein becomes deformed and clumped. The naturally occurring prion protein is harmless and can be found in most organisms. In humans, it is found in our brain cell membrane. By contrast, the abnormally deformed ...
3-D look at prion may help find cure to brain diseases, University of Alberta work shows
2013-08-01
The work of University of Alberta researchers and their teams has contributed to an important next step in finding a cure for deadly prion-folding diseases in humans and animals.
Professor Michael James of the University of Alberta Department of Biochemistry, Professor Nat Kav of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science and their labs collaborated to produce mini-antibodies and antibody fragments used by the Institute of Neuropathology in Zurich to study interactions between the antibodies and the prion protein and how it results in cell death.
The ...
Rubber slat mats could improve animal well-being
2013-08-01
New research shows that rubber slat mats could improve swine health. In a new study in the Journal of Animal Science, researchers in Europe studied how different types of flooring affects claw and limb lesions, locomotion and flooring cleanliness.
According to the researchers, flooring is one of the main factors in production systems that cause locomotory problems in swine. Locomotory problems can be caused by joint injuries or by circulatory problems in the legs and feet.
Julia Calderón-Díaz, a PhD candidate at University of College Dublin, said pregnant sows placed ...