A team of researchers at the University of South Florida Department of Surgery has made a key discovery as to why we become more susceptible to heart disease as we age. They found that a protein, Sesn2, plays a pivotal role in protecting the heart from stress. Their study was published in Redox Biology.
The team reported that an insufficient level of Sesn2 is the reason older individuals are at greater risk of heart attack and other heart complications. This indicates stabilizing the protein could be the answer to maintaining a healthy heart.
Through biochemical analysis and high-powered microscopes, lead researcher Ji Li and their colleagues, saw that Sesn2 deficiency caused cells to die in older mice, inducing heart attack. Li is now in the process of confirming their findings on human hearts provided by LifeLink, which helps facilitate organ donations for transplantation and research. The team expects to have those results available in the next couple of years.
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"The age-related Sesn2 is a critical player in mitochondria," Li said. "Maintaining the cardiac Sesn2 levels could make the heart energic and [protected] against age-related heart disease."
The scientists say that the uncovering of Sesn2's significance helps advance the development of new therapeutic treatments. Gene therapy or pharmacological approach could be considered to maintain the cardiac Sesn2 signaling pathway to strengthen the heart in aging.