The stiffening of human arteries might no longer be a main factor contributing to cardiovascular disease, according to findings of MU researchers and their international collaborators.
Three-dimensional microscopic imaging technology can now find and monitor proteins that cause arteries to stiffen. Preventing arteries from hardening is essential in reducing cardiovascular diseases, as well as reducing complications caused by circulatory disease. According to the CDC, someone dies from a coronary event every minute.
“Heart disease is the number one killer of all Americans,” Michael Hall, spokesman for the American Heart Association in Columbia, said. “Strokes are the No. 4 killer, and the No. 1 cause of disability. Eighty percent of heart disease is preventable.”
Changes in arterial stiffness are caused by modifications in protein levels, which occurs as people age. Learning how to alter one protein in particular, elastin, might prevent some of the problems that revolve around vascular disease and aging, the researchers said.
“3-D microscopic imaging technology is a powerful research tool used by medical scientists and biologist to view biological structures in three dimensions as opposed to two dimensions,” Gerald Meininger, director of the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, said in an email.
Meininger is a principal investigator in the study.
“This provides very detailed data about how proteins and cells are organized in space and how they relate to each other,” Meininger said. “3-D images allow a scientist to view and manipulate the micro-scale images to examine details not visible in 2-D images. The technique involves the use of sophisticated fluorescent microscopes coupled to computer image acquisition and analysis stations.”
Meininger and Associate Director Michael Hill have been researching this technology for the past two to three years, and have been involved in cardiovascular research for 30 years.
Meininger said the research staff includes students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty investigators and international collaborations with scientists at the Ludwig Maximillian University in Germany and Oxford University in the UK.
“The overarching goal of the research is to understand the structure or architecture of the blood vessel wall at a level of detail not previously available,” Meininger said. “This information is crucial for an improved understanding of the mechanical properties and functions of vessels and will help us to better understand how and why blood vessels mechanically fail in disease and with aging.”
The American Heart Association has raised $3.5 million in Missouri for cardiovascular research, which has funded an estimated 29 studies, Karla Johannsen, regional vice president of the AHA said. Johansen organizes events, such as the Heart Walk and the Heart Ball, to raise money for cardiovascular research.
“Funding is given on a meritorious basis and is a detailed process,” Hall said. “(This funding) speaks very highly of the quality of research at the University of Missouri.”
There is a need for more research about blood vessels, such as how they are put and held together. Understanding more about the distribution, production and degradation could help various vascular treatments, therapies and designs, Meininger said.
“Discovering more about the process is hoped to provide the knowledge we need to design new therapies that can more specifically and efficiently target the problem,” Meininger said.
