Gingivitis Bacteria Causes Harms in the Heart, Impairing Already Poor Recovery from Heart Attack

Inflammatory periodontal disease is caused by a specific bacterial species. The bacteria can use damaged gums to enter the bloodstream. It is thought that its ability to provoke inflammation can then contribute to cardiovascular disease and dementia, though the size of the effect is up for debate. Along these lines, researchers here show that periodontal bacteria can worsen the consequences of a heart attack, impairing the already limited ability of the heart to regenerate and restore function following injury. Heart attacks occur when blood flow in the coronary arteries is blocked, resulting in an inadequate supply of nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle, and ultimately death of cardiac myocytes. To prevent this, cardiac myocytes use a process known as autophagy to dispose of damaged cellular components, keeping them from causing cardiac dysfunction. Previous studies have shown that the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis, which has been detected at the site of occlusion in myocardial infarction, can exacerbate post-infarction myocardial fragility. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remained unknown. To investigate this, researchers created a version of P. gingivalis that does not express gingipain, its most potent virulence factor, which an earlier study showed can inhibit cells from undergoing programmed cell death in response to injury. They then used this bacterium to infect cardiac myocytes or mice. "The results were very clear....
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs