They find proteins that prevent the development of plaques in the arteries.

Madrid, 17 Mar A group of international researchers found that arteries with plaques (atherosclerotic) or abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) have lower galectin-1 levels and a healthy aorta have more galectin-1. It shows that galectin-1 is an effective therapeutic target. Details of the findings were published in the journal “Science Advances” by a team from CIBER Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV) in Spain and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET) in Argentina. Cardiovascular diseases that can lead to myocardial infarction or stroke are called atherosclerosis due to the formation of atheroma plaques in the arteries. These plaques can break and release the contents and activate the formation of blood clots that interfere with coagulation and blood flow. On the other hand, abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), which are characterized by abdominal aorta expansion, are asymptomatic pathologies that are difficult to diagnose over time and can worsen into an artery rupture. It is important to identify the mechanisms associated with these pathologies and seek treatments to prevent the mortality associated with these diseases. This paper suggests that the loss of galectin-1 is associated with the development of vascular disease. To carry out the study, the authors removed gallectin from a mouse model of atherosclerosis and observed that people without this protein develop larger and larger plaques than plaques with normal galectin-1 levels. Atherosclerosis and AAA are characterized by the loss of function of vascular smooth muscle cells, as well as the accumulation of cholesterol and inflammatory cells in the walls of the aorta. The study focused on exploring new mechanisms by which gallectin-1 can prevent the development of atherosclerosis and AAA. Through in vitro studies, the researchers observed that galectin-1 deficient macrophages cause more cholesterol, but treatment with galectin-1 prevents the absorption of cholesterol in these cells. This study showed that galectin-1 treatment in mice with atherosclerosis or AAA may prevent vascular lesions from developing through mechanisms related to maintaining smooth vascular muscle cells. “Galectin-1 treatment reduces the size of the necrotic core, which is a sign of instability in progressive atherosclerotic plaques and prevents plaque rupture and associated complications such as infarction or stroke,” explains José Luis Martín Ventura from CIBER Cardiovascular Area Disease (CIBERCV). Jiménez from the Diaz Health Institute. However, researchers warn that further research is needed in this area. best ECG/CG