Bone Marrow Factors Behind Cardiovascular Diseases

Bone marrow factors may drive the inflammation responsible for promoting cardiovascular diseases as per a study at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Some of the significant key drivers of heart diseases are high cholesterol and inflammation, caused because of the inflamed build-up of fatty acids/lipids in the heart's blood supply. As it is known that white blood cells play a vital role as a defense mechanism against infection, they may trigger inflammation in such conditions.

‘Bone marrow factors may drive the inflammation responsible for promoting cardiovascular diseases by increasing the production of white blood cells. ’

The study team explored this aspect for formulations of new strategies for optimal cardiovascular health.

It was found that hallmarks of cardiovascular diseases - high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and the occurrence of a heart attack each can cause changes in the number of blood vessels in the bone marrow.

This further affects the release of bone marrow factors and regulation of white blood cell production and migration.

"As a consequence, more white blood cells were available in the body, and this increase, called leukocytosis, propels inflammation everywhere, including in the arteries and the heart. This study will allow us to now examine how to reduce white blood cell production to normal values, thereby cooling off inflamed plaques anywhere in the body," says senior author Matthias Nahrendorf, MD, PhD, an investigator in MGH's Center for Systems Biology and a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Source: Medindia