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Vascular calcification Omega-3 fatty acids are effective in vascular calcifications
Arterial calcifications are a common complaint that in the worst case can have consequences such as a heart attack or a stroke. Scientists at the Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität München (LMU) have now tested a new approach to treating atherosclerosis: activating "the body's own healing-promoting processes". Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role here. The researchers publish their results in the journal "Circulation Research".
The vascular calcification occurs when deposits in the inner walls of the vessel lead to chronic inflammation and constrict the vessels, according to the LMU. As a result, the blood flow is obstructed or completely blocked, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. So far the treatment, according to the researchers, is mainly aimed at inhibiting the inflammatory response. However, the research team led by Professor Oliver Söhnlein from the Institute for Prophylaxis and Epidemiology of Circulatory Diseases at the LMU has now developed a completely new treatment approach, which aims to activate the body's own healing-promoting processes. The key to this could be omega-3 fatty acids.
Vascular calcifications may possibly be treated with the help of omega-3 fatty acids. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com) Inflammatory reaction influenced by lipid mediators
The research results of recent years have shown, according to the scientists, that not only the emergence, but also the termination of inflammation is an active process of the immune defense. This "inflammation termination program" is disturbed in atherosclerosis, so that the inflammation chronifies, explains Prof. Söhnlein. According to the experts, the inflammatory process is controlled by special signaling molecules (called lipid mediators), which are formed from essential fatty acids. "Inflammation-promoting lipid mediators are initially active in acute inflammations, and" anti-inflammatory lipid mediators take over regulation to stop the reaction, "according to the LMU.
Balance of lipid mediators disturbed in atherosclerosis
For the process of inflammation to work, both types of lipid mediators must be in balance, the researchers explain. We were able to prove "that this balance is disturbed in atherosclerosis", emphasizes Prof. Söhnlein. While normally the inflammatory reactions are stopped by an increasing concentration of anti-inflammatory lipid mediators at the end of the acute phase, the opposite is the case with atherosclerosis. In atherosclerotic tissue, the required lipid mediators even decrease as inflammation progresses.
Vascular calcification diminished by anti-inflammatory lipid mediators
In the mouse model, the researchers succeeded in "correcting the imbalance and reducing atherosclerosis by adding the anti-inflammatory lipid mediators Maresin 1 and Resolvin D2", reports Prof. Söhnlein from the study results. In the body, Maresin 1 and Resolvin D2 "are formed from essential omega-3 fatty acids, which are included in fish oil, which has long been said to have a health-promoting effect," according to the LMU.
Natural processes are activated
According to the researchers, the lipid mediators influence the phagocytes of the immune system, so-called macrophages. These attach to atherosclerotic plaques and can act in different directions. On the one hand, they contribute to the progression of inflammation when "they overeat blood lipids and self-perish, (...) on the other hand, they also have an important function in the healing of inflamed tissue," according to the LMU. Because the macrophages remove dead cells and trigger the proliferation of smooth muscle cells. "The addition of the lipid mediators promotes this anti-inflammatory effect, thus directing the activity of macrophages in a desired direction," emphasizes Prof. Söhnlein.
Omega-3 fatty acids with many positive effects
In a next step, further studies must now clarify whether the findings from the mouse model can also be applied to humans. Confirming the study results, this is one more reason to include increased amounts of omega-3 fatty acid. Previous studies have already shown that omega-3 fatty acids protect against heart attacks, prevent colon cancer, and contribute to Alzheimer's disease prevention. Overall, the Omega-3 fatty acids are credited with numerous beneficial effects on our health. These are included, for example, in greasy fish, but also in walnuts and chia seeds. (Fp)