Agent discovery could protect against atherosclerosis

An agent that can protect against the early stages of atherosclerosis has been identified by researchers at Boston University.

The study unearthed the potential of A2b adenosine receptor (A2bAR) as a new therapeutic target against atherosclerosis resulting from a high fat diet and cholesterol.

Atherosclerosis induced by a high-fat diet was more pronounced in the absence of the A2bAR. Bone marrow transplantation experiments also indicated that A2bAR bone marrow cell signals alone were not sufficient to elicit this effect.

A2bAR is an anti-inflammatory and has previously been found to protect against kidney ischemia, cardiac reperfusion injury and restenosis, typically via bone marrow cell signals.

Researchers claim that the discovery of the potential of A2bAR to treat atherosclerosis could have significant public health implications.

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in the developed world but treatment is limited.

Recent epidemiological and experimental studies link infectious agents with the development of inflammatory atherosclerosis.

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