Natural fat Molecule Reduces Heart Inflammation in Diabetics by Half and Boosts Function.

A naturally occurring fat molecule, lipoxin A4 (LXA4), has been shown to reduce heart inflammation and scarring caused by diabetes, significantly improving cardiac function, according to new research. These findings pave the way for potential new treatments for diabetes-related heart disease.

Diabetes often leads to serious cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart attacks, cardiomyopathy, and cardiac failure. While the exact mechanisms linking diabetes to these conditions remain unclear, chronic inflammation plays a key role.

Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, discovered that LXA4 can deactivate the body’s inflammatory response, helping to prevent long-term inflammation and improve heart function in diabetic individuals. “LXA4 was found to cut inflammation and scar tissue formation in half, specifically in diabetic heart disease,” explained Dr. Cheng Xue Qin from the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS). “With advancements in developing more drug-like versions of LXA4, this therapy shows promise for managing diabetic heart conditions.”

Exploring Lipoxins’ Potential to Resolve Diabetic Heart Inflammation and Improve Cardiac Function

Inflammation typically involves initiation and resolution phases. During resolution, lipid mediators like lipoxins help restore balance by reducing inflammation. However, unresolved inflammation leads to complications. In both animal and human studies, diabetes has been linked to persistent, low-grade systemic inflammation driven by pro-inflammatory cytokines. This inflammation activates molecular pathways that enlarge cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes), ultimately impairing heart function. Given lipoxins’ ability to resolve inflammation, researchers explored their potential to combat diabetic heart inflammation.

Over six weeks, diabetic mice with heart disease received biweekly LXA4 injections. These mice exhibited symptoms such as heart inflammation, muscle scarring, cardiomyocyte dysfunction, hypertrophy-related gene expression, and early signs of left ventricular impairment due to muscle stiffening.

“LXA4 stimulated reparative macrophages, a type of white blood cell, in the diabetic heart,” said Ting Fu Master, a MIPS PhD candidate and lead author of the study. “These beneficial macrophages reduced scarring and improved overall heart function.”

Crucially, these improvements occurred independently of blood sugar levels. The researchers now aim to develop an LXA4-based drug and explore its potential for treating other inflammatory conditions.

Read Original Article: New Atlas

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