American scientists have identified a protein, which will find its application in heart surgery.
Scientists conducted an experiment on rats, which found that those animals in which the level of the enzyme ALDH2 was high, more resistant to damage of the heart muscle due to lack of oxygen. The increase of the enzyme reduced the number of dead cardiac tissue in rodents by 60%, according to scientists.
Although this enzyme has long been known, but new properties have been discovered recently. It was known that the enzyme ALDH2 is involved in the breakdown of alcohol in the body. The researchers found that it also reduced damage to heart tissue, increasing the number of molecules that restored the damaged tissue. During a heart attack a clot blocks blood flow to the heart, and the lack of oxygen stimulates the growth of toxins in the tissues and can lead to death.
See also: How to survive a heart attack alone: the main rules
According to nurse Judy OSullivan of the British Heart Foundation, found a completely new way, which will reduce damage to heart tissue due to the action of free radicals during a heart attack, but still need a large number of studies, including on humans before this method will be used as a medical treatment in medical practice.
