一项新的研究表明，靶向平滑肌细胞中的蛋白质可以阻止和减少小鼠模型中动脉粥样硬化斑块的积累。beplay苹果手机能用吗UthealthHouston。

The study was今天出版在Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Atherosclerosis is a common condition that develops when plaque builds up inside the arteries. Diseases linked to atherosclerosis, such as coronary artery disease, are the leading cause of death in the United States, and nearly half of Americans with the condition don’t know they have it. Atherosclerosis can affect most of the arteries in the body, including arteries in the heart, brain, arms, legs, pelvis, and kidneys.

“We are trying to identify new pathways that cause atherosclerotic plaque buildup, in particular pathways that involve a certain cell type, called smooth muscle cells,” said黛安娜·米勒维奇（Dianna Milewicz）该研究的首席作者，医学博士，博士学位，教授兼乔治·布什（George Bush）主席在休斯顿Uthealth的McGovern医学院担任心血管医学。“多年来，研究人员一直专注于其他细beplay苹果手机能用吗胞类型，例如内皮细胞和巨噬细胞，但最近的研究突出了平滑肌细胞在斑块形成中的作用。我们发现，如果我们阻断平滑肌细胞中的特定蛋白质，我们可以有效地阻止大多数斑块形成在动物模型中发生。”

利用基因敲除的方法,研究人员美联储创始的beplay苹果手机能用吗ly modified mice a high fat diet and caused the mice to have high cholesterol levels in their blood to drive atherosclerotic plaque formation. Blocking a specific protein called PERK in these mice resulted in an 80% decrease of atherosclerotic plaque buildup in male mice.

“Males tend to have more of this buildup than females. This tells us that blocking PERK in smooth muscle cells is important in plaque formation. Interestingly, this protein is activated in smooth muscle cells by too much cholesterol in the cells,” Milewicz said.

目前的治疗方法可以帮助患有动脉粥样硬化有关的患者，包括生活方式和饮食改变，汀类药物和PCSK9抑制剂等药物，以及在更严重的情况下，是开放阻塞动脉的程序。但是，Milewicz表示，生活方式的改变可能并不总是有帮助的，并且当前的药物具有副作用或可能价格昂贵。

Researchers are hopeful these findings can translate to clinical care.

该研究的第一作者Abhijnan Chattopadhyay博士说：“市场上有很多药物阻止平滑肌细胞通路。”beplay苹果手机能用吗“既然我们知道可以通过靶向平滑肌细胞来阻止这种积累，我们可以使用已经可用的药物并针对这种途径来帮助动脉粥样硬化斑块积聚的患者。这只是我们可以阻止或降低斑块积聚的另一种方式，尤其是对于那些无法通过生活方式改变或他汀类药物来预防动脉粥样硬化的人。”

麦戈文医学院的其他作家包括Suravi Majumder博士；Kaveeta Kaw，BS；Zhen Zhou，医学博士；Siddharth K. Prakash，医学博士；Anita Kaw，学士；Maximillian Buja，医学博士；Callie S. Kwartler博士和MM的Pujun Guan，麦戈文医学院和德克萨斯大学医学博士安德森癌症中心Uthealth Houston Houston Biomedical Sciences研究生院。贝勒医学院和德克萨斯心脏研究所的医学博士陈张也为这项研究做出了贡献。

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