Looking Into Ways to Prevent Heart Calcification

Many elastic tissues harden with age in part due to calcification, an increased deposition of calcium between cells. In the cardiovascular system this is eventually fatal, as elasticity in blood vessels and the heart are essential to proper function. The usual focus for discussion here is the stiffening of blood vessel walls through this and other mechanisms, causing hypertension and all its attendant consequences, but heart tissue also stiffens and calcifies: Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the third leading cause of heart disease. In CAVD, which can develop with age, heart valves begin to produce calcium, causing them to harden like bone. Scientists have long known that blood flow in the heart plays a role in the calcification of valves and arteries, but they did not understand how. In a new study, investigators reveal the chain of events that cause healthy valves to become bone-like. The researchers had previously discovered that disruption of one of two copies of a master gene called NOTCH1 can cause valve birth defects and CAVD. In the current study, the researchers report that NOTCH1 acts like a sensor on the endothelial cell - the cells that line the valve and vessels - detecting blood flow outside of the cell and transmitting information to a network of genes inside the cell. Activation of NOTCH1 by blood flow causes a domino effect, triggering numerous other genes in the network to turn on or off, resulting in suppression of inflammation and calcification. ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs