GLP-1 drugs may prevent deadly heart complications after heart attack
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A popular class of weight-loss drugs may prevent life-threatening heart complications by opening microscopic blood vessels that often remain blocked after a heart attack, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.
Research led by the University of Bristol and University College London has identified a biological brain-gut-heart signaling pathway.
This discovery appears to explain how GLP-1 drugs, which mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, protect heart tissue from a condition known as “no-reflow.”
Lead author of the study and senior lecturer at Bristol Medical School, Dr. “In nearly half of heart attack patients, small blood vessels within the heart muscle continue to narrow even after the main artery is cleared during emergency medical treatment,” Svetlana Mastitskaya said in a press release.
“This results in a complication known as ‘no-reflow,’ in which blood fails to reach certain parts of the heart tissue.”
In nearly half of heart attack patients, tiny capillaries (blood vessels) remain narrowed even after the blocked main artery is cleared. (iStock)
This lack of blood flow increases the risk of heart failure and death within a year. According to researchers, GLP-1 drugs can prevent this.
How does it work?
When the GLP-1 hormone is released in the intestine or administered as a drug, it sends a signal to the brain, which in turn sends a signal to the heart, which opens special potassium channels in small cells called pericytes.
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The researchers noted that when these channels open, pericytes relax, allowing small blood vessels (capillaries) to dilate and improve blood flow to the heart muscle.
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The new study used animal models and cellular imaging to track how GLP-1 interacts with heart tissue. When the researchers removed the potassium channels, they found that the drugs no longer protected the heart; This confirmed that they played an important role.
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 drugs currently used for type 2 diabetes and obesity could be repurposed as emergency treatments. (iStock)
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 drugs currently used for type 2 diabetes and obesity could be repurposed as emergency treatments to reduce tissue damage during or immediately after a heart attack.
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The researchers noted several limitations, including the study’s reliance on animal models.
Clinical studies are needed to determine whether the brain-gut-heart pathway operates with the same timing and effectiveness in humans.
Although the study highlights the drug’s immediate benefits during a heart attack, it does not reveal whether long-term use of these drugs provides a pre-existing level of protection. (iStock)
Additionally, although the study highlights the immediate benefits of the drug during a heart attack, it does not reveal whether long-term use of the drug provides a pre-existing level of protection.
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The research was primarily funded by the British Heart Foundation.
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