Synthetic RNA will protect against the consequences of a heart attack
Synthetic RNA was used to treat a heart attack
The work was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology (Zangi et al., Modified mRNA directs the fate of heart progenitor cells and induces vascular regeneration after myocardial infarction), its contents can be briefly found on the website of the Swedish Institute (Synthetic mRNA can induce self-repair and regeneration of the infarcted heart).
A heart attack, that is, the death of a part of the heart cells, is associated with insufficient blood circulation in its individual areas. To restore blood circulation, scientists decided to inject matrix RNA into such areas, which encodes the synthesis of protein-vascular growth factor (VEGF-A).
The natural VEGF-A matrix RNA is rapidly destroyed after such an injection. This is due to the presence in the intercellular space of the corresponding enzymes-hydrolases, and in cells – an antiviral system that destroys potentially dangerous genetic information. Therefore, scientists used not natural, but modified synthetic matrix RNA for injection, which turned out to be much more stable.
According to the authors, the injection of matrix RNA caused a short-term, but rather strong surge in the synthesis of vascular growth factor, which led to the restoration of blood supply to damaged areas of the heart. Compared with the injection of DNA vectors, the effect of the modified RNA was much brighter.
Scientists have been trying to use nucleic acids (matrix RNA, antisense RNA, small interfering RNA, viral DNA) in direct injection for the treatment of diseases or genotype changes for about 20 years. The development of so-called DNA vaccines also belongs to this area. The main difficulty of the method is the rapid destruction of the injected molecules. In primitive multicellular, for example, roundworms, such injections work much more efficiently than in mammals and humans.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru09.09.2013