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Enzyme-lowering drugs could reduce heart attack injury by 60%
<< BACK | Download Word File Vancouver, January 19, 2004 — Drugs already in common use for conditions such as gastric ulcers could help reduce the damage caused by heart attacks by as much as 60 per cent, according to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. The study suggests these drugs could also potentially benefit patients in such diverse situations as stroke, open-heart surgery and organ transplantation. Dr. David Granville, a researcher at Providence Health Care and the University of British Columbia, was the lead author of the study, which was conducted with principal investigator Dr. Roberta Gottlieb and other collaborators at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. In this study, the researchers demonstrated that lowering levels of a type of naturally occurring enzymes known as CYP mono-oxygenases can significantly reduce the damage to the heart muscle caused by the processes of ischemia and reperfusion that occur during heart attacks. If a heart attack restricts blood supply to the heart for more than several minutes, the lack of oxygen, or ischemia, can result in severe and permanent heart muscle damage. To prevent further damage, blood flow must be restored rapidly so the muscle can receive adequate oxygen and nutrients, a process known as reperfusion. Paradoxically, the process of reperfusion itself can also lead to further organ damage, a problem that has puzzled scientists for decades. Drugs that suppress the CYP enzymes could reduce the damage associated with reperfusion that occurs when treating heart attacks, while increasing critically needed coronary blood flow. They could potentially be used for other diseases and surgical procedures where reperfusion injury also poses major problems – including stroke, organ transplantation, coronary bypass surgeries and balloon angioplasties – or could even be used to help prevent heart attacks. There are already a number of commercially available drugs currently used for other purposes that are known to suppress CYP enzymes. These include cimetidine, prescribed for gastric ulcers, and the antibiotic chloramphenicol. However, this research needs to be confirmed in clinical trials before these drugs are used in cardiac care. Dr. Granville is a recently recruited Canada Research Chair, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar and new professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research at St. Paul's Hospital and the University of British Columbia. St. Paul's is part of Providence Health Care, Vancouver's Catholic heath care organization. The research was funded in part by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Insti-tutes of Health. Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is the leading cause of death in North America with over 500,000 people suffering from this condition annually. In Canada alone, it is estimated that there are over 70,000 heart attacks each year. CONTACT: Gavin Wilson Providence Health Care Communications (604) 806-8583 << BACK | Download Word File |
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