Anti-ageing for arteries

Previous research from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) group at the University of Cambridge found that patients with severe heart disease have arteries that are biologically up to 40 years older than their real age, due to DNA damage. This new study published in the journal Circulation Research has found that in human artery cells, statins increase levels of a protein called NBS-1, which can detect DNA damage and accelerate its repair.

Cells in the body can only divide a limited number of times. In patients with heart disease, their artery cells divide between 7 and 13 times more often than normal and the cells run out of divisions, resulting in premature ageing of the arteries. Older artery cells cannot divide properly, so do not function as well as younger ones. This makes them less capable of preventing fatty deposits called atherosclerotic plaques from rupturing, which can block the arteries and cause heart attacks and strokes.

This new research discovered that, through increasing NBS-1, statins accelerate the repair of DNA, extending the lifespan of blood vessel cells and preventing them from getting prematurely old. Another protein, Hdm-2, is also involved in this process.

Professor Martin Bennett, BHF Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences who led the Cambridge research said:

"It is an exciting breakthrough to find that statins not only lower cholesterol but also rev-up the cells' own DNA repair kit, slowing the ageing process of the diseased artery.

"The major risk factors that cause heart disease - high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet - all speed up a final common cellular ageing process, which is irreversible. Reducing your risk through lifestyle changes can help to prevent this - and we've found that statins may also lend a hand.

"If statins can also do this in other cells, they may protect normal tissues from DNA damage that occurs as part of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer, potentially reducing the side effects associated with these treatments."

Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the BHF who funded the study said:

"Too much cholesterol in the blood induces a repeated cycle of damage and repair in the blood vessel wall which results in a heart attack if the repair mechanism is inadequate. Statins protect against heart attacks by reducing cholesterol levels and subsequent damage to the vessel wall.

"This research has shown that they may also enhance the blood vessels' natural repair mechanisms. Fundamental research of this nature is essential if we are to understand the cellular mechanisms that cause heart attacks and develop new treatments to prevent what still remains the biggest cause of death and disability in our society."