There are approximately 20,000 proteins in the human heart—and one of them, if administered as a drug, could help patients recover more quickly following a myocardial infarction.
A team of researchers analyzed the protein, mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), for a new study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The belief is that MANF could play a key role after MI patients receive stents.
“The oxygen surge that occurs as soon as the stent is implanted ‘stuns’ the heart cells and some of them die, which increases irreparable damage to the heart,” Chris Glembotski, PhD, a molecular cardiologist and director of the San Diego State University Heart Institute, said in a statement. “We found a protein that can minimize the stunning.”
Glembotski et al. explored the protein’s potential by monitoring how genetically modified mice with and without MANF recovered following an induced MI. The mice with MANF had a much better recovery.
As the team’s research continues, the hope is that MANF could eventually be administered to MI patients intravenously.
“One of our most interesting discoveries is our finding that MANF is a chaperone protein that keeps other proteins functional during stress,” lead author Adrian Arrieta, also of the SDSU Heart Institute, said in the same statement. “If we could give heart attack victims more MANF, they would have less damage after a heart attack, and they would recover more quickly.”
The full analysis is available as a PDF here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.