Potential cancer drug 'reverses autophagy in heart'
Tuesday 31st May 2011
A promising cancer drug could be used to prevent heart failure, according to the results of a new study.
Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor drug was able to restore function of a heart at risk of failure from high blood pressure.
The drug was seen to reverse the adverse effects of autophagy, during which cells eat their own proteins, in heart muscle cells of mice.
Dr Joseph Hill, of the University of Texas Southwestern, said: "The heart decreased back to near its normal size, and heart function that had previously been declining went back to normal."
"That is a powerful observation where disease regression, not just disease prevention, was seen."
In other news, doctors could use a simple fitness test to measure the heart and stroke risk in middle-aged male patients, new findings show.
Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology discovered that measuring how fast a middle-aged person is able to run can predict the risk of death from heart conditions in later life.
Written by Martin Lambert
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