Recently, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital have discovered two potential drug targets through research that can be used to treat arterial diseases (such as atherosclerosis).
Researchers used proteomics to screen a large number of molecules and identified two. Two PARP family proteins: PARP9 and PARP14, these two proteins may act as regulators of macrophage activation, which are directly related to the development of arterial disease. Related research was published in the International Journal of Nature Communications. The mechanism of macrophage activation has not been fully elucidated, but previous studies have shown that macrophages play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis and its thrombotic complications. it has been. In this article, researcher Masanori Aikawa and colleagues studied atherosclerosis at the protein level to determine which molecules are involved in the regulation of macrophages. Finally, the researchers focused on two proteins and suppressed the expression of each gene in macrophages. It was found that inhibiting PARP14 can increase macrophage expression, while inhibiting PARP9 is the opposite. effect. Researchers hope that this hypothetical approach can simplify the long process of drug development. At the same time, it uses a systematic approach that relies on network analysis to help predict possible routes. Control the effects of the research so that researchers can prioritize these methods.
The following researchers Aikawa and others will continue to conduct in-depth research to develop targeted therapies for the treatment of atherosclerosis and related diseases. Aichuan said that the activation of macrophages not only plays an important role in the etiology of arterial diseases, but also plays an important role in the research of various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The results of this article may provide us with important clues. Elucidate the causes of diseases related to atherosclerosis and support the development of more new therapies.