Can a new drug protect the heart from damage caused by a heart attack?

Small molecules activating Nrf2 as a therapeutic approach to prevent cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury

Dr William Fuller and colleagues at the University of Dundee are studying new ways to protect heart muscle tissue from injury after a heart attack. When blood vessels become blocked, such as during a heart attack, the amount of oxygen delivered to the heart falls. Muscle damage is caused by toxic chemicals produced inside muscle cells called reactive oxygen species, or ROS. Many enzymes within the heart can neutralise these toxic ROS chemicals, and these are controlled by a protein called Nrf2. But although we know that boosting Nrf2 protects the heart from injury, we don’t know if drugs that activate Nrf2 can do this during a heart attack. In this project, Dr Fuller will test a new drug, which switches on the genes that code for these protective enzymes. He will find out if the drug protects the heart of mice from damage during and after a heart attack, when the heart muscle’s oxygen supply is interrupted. This drug is currently in clinical trials for pulmonary hypertension, but Dr Fuller wants to see if it can be repurposed to treat heart attack. If successful, this could be a quicker way to get a new treatment for heart attack as the drug already exists and has been shown to be safe in people.