Slowing the progression of atherosclerosis in people with diabetes

Effects of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibition on inflammation and atherosclerosis development

In people with diabetes, heart and circulatory disease causes a significant number of deaths. This is because atherosclerosis (where the large blood vessels in our bodies ‘fur up’ with fatty deposits) progresses faster in people with diabetes. Scientists have recently found that atherosclerosis and insulin resistance (when our bodies cannot use insulin properly – a feature of diabetes) are linked. Cells in our immune systems called macrophages are particularly important in insulin resistance and in atherosclerosis by increasing inflammation in fatty deposits. So scientists believe altering how macrophages work and how they use insulin may be a new way of treating these diseases. Dr Mirela Delibegovic and her team at the University of Aberdeen have found that reducing the levels of a protein called PTP1B in macrophages lowers inflammation in mice. The BHF has now awarded them a grant to find out if lowering levels of this protein in healthy immune cells can reduce inflammation. They will also work out if drugs that stop PTP1B working (which are already being tested in clinical trials for diabetes) can protect against inflammation and stop heart and circulatory disease developing in mice. This research will help us understand how immune cells contribute to heart and circulatory disease, and might reveal a new avenue for research to test new drugs.