From arthritis and calcification of valves
Researchers at Vanderbilt University, working under the guidance of Associate Professor David Merryman, have demonstrated that the drug, the active ingredient of which is SYN0012 monoclonal antibodies, prevents the development of calcification of the heart valves. Currently, this drug is undergoing clinical trials as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
Calcification of the heart valves occurs in about 25% of people over the age of 65, and by the age of 85, this figure reaches about 50%. Calcification of the aortic valve is especially dangerous, in which all three valve flaps gradually lose their flexibility. In order to pump blood through the hardened valve, the heart begins to contract more, which leads to an increase (hypertrophy) of its departments and the development of heart failure.
At the present stage, therapists observe such patients until they develop symptoms of the disease, after which the only treatment option is a surgical operation to replace the valve with pig valves cleaned of cells or mechanical versions of valves.
The cause of the described condition is cadherin-11 (CDH-11), a binding protein necessary for normal wound healing. It is produced by fibroblasts – the main cells of connective tissue, which mainly consist of heart valves. As the heart ages and the accompanying loss of tissue elasticity, fibroblasts become hyperactive and produce a large amount of cadherin-11, which leads to the hardening of the valve flaps.
The experimental anti-inflammatory drug SYN0012, originally developed as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, physically binds to cadherin-11 on the surface of cells, preventing their bonding and hardening of tissue.
The authors hope that after the end of the current clinical trials of the drug as a remedy for rheumatoid arthritis, they will receive permission to conduct its clinical trials with patients with calcification of the heart valves.
Article by Cynthia R. Clark et al. Targeting Cadherin-11 Prevents Notch1-Mediated Calcific Aortic Valve Disease http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/135/24/2448 published in the journal Circulation.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to Vanderbilt University: Drug developed for arthritis could be the first to stop heart valve calculation.
14.06.2017