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Protein May be Link to Diabetes and Heart Disease
Protein May be Link to Diabetes and Heart Disease -- Posted by Gumbo on 11-05-04 17:51
Protein May be Link to Diabetes and Heart Disease
This is important, because elevated levels of the protein can lead to a
condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart loses its
ability to pump blood effectively throughout the body, often worsening to
congestive heart failure.
Heart disease is a major complication of diabetes, with about 70 percent of
deaths in patients with diabetes attributed to heart-related complications.
The protein is part of a family of G-protein-coupled receptors on cell
surfaces. These receptors respond to hormones that affect heart function.
For instance, the receptors that respond to the hormones epinephrine and
norepinephrine - triggers of the so-called fight-or-flight response - are
members of this family.
"This increase of the protein and coupled receptor as we age is not
significant, but when the effects of aging are combined with the presence of
diabetes, the increase becomes significant," said Madan Kwatra, a Duke
pharmacologist and principal author of the study, published in the journal
Diabetes, published by the American Diabetes Association.
Kwatra said that other research has suggested that an increase in the
density of receptors in heart-muscle cells can lead to life-threatening
heart-rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation. People with diabetes
are known to be at increased risk for this condition, too.
Kwatra said it's possible that existing heart-drug treatments, particularly
beta-blockers, might be more widely used to help reduce heart risks in
diabetics. "Beta blockers have already been shown to reduce cardiac levels
of the protein, and this class of drugs is already well-understood and has
very few side effects."
Beta-blockers reduce heart rate and blood pressure
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