Studying how fats called electrophiles could protect against heart disease

Expanding our understanding of the redox regulation of soluble Epoxide Hydrolase in cardiovascular health and disease

Professor Philip Eaton studies a protein in heart cells and blood vessels called soluble Epoxide Hydrolase, or sEH. Drugs that block this protein have been shown to protect against heart and circulatory disease. During previous research, Professor Eaton and his team found that sEH is blocked by certain fats that the body can produce itself, which may be the body’s natural way of protecting against disease. These fats, known as electrophiles, attach to a specific molecule in sEH, and block it. Using genetic engineering, Professor Eaton has made a mouse that has this molecule replaced with another one, so the electrophile cannot attach to it – as a result these mice cannot reduce their blood pressure in response to an electrophile unlike healthy mice. In this project, the researchers are comparing these engineered mice to normal mice, where sEH can be inhibited by the electrophile. They want to know when sEH inhibition occurs in tissues of the heart and circulatory system, if and how it may be altered by fats that we eat, and if it may be switched on to combat disease. We still do not have fully effective treatments for high blood pressure and heart failure. Understanding the importance of the sEH blocking mechanism may reveal new ways to prevent or treat these conditions.