Can telling the body to clear inflammation prevent atherosclerosis?

The FPR2 ligand W-peptide: A new therapeutic approach to treat atherosclerosis

The development of ‘fatty plaques’ in the blood vessels involves chronic inflammation. Some research efforts to treat plaques or prevent them growing are focusing on this inflammation. However, treatments that dampen down inflammation run the risk of increasing the risk of infection. Dr Thompson’s team is focusing on another approach; to switch on the body’s control systems that normally halt the inflammation when it is no longer needed. This way, the immune system can still be activated in case of infection. They have previously shown that a molecule called ‘W-peptide’ can reduce fatty plaque development in mice fed a high fat diet, potentially by reducing inflammation.. In this project, they will look further into how this peptide acts. They will determine if W-peptide can both prevent and reverse plaque formation in mice that are prone to atherosclerosis, and whether it performs better than another available drug. Using samples from the mice treated with W-peptide, they will then study the cell processes that control the inflammation response in detail. The results could help them to develop better versions of W-peptide that could be used to treat and prevent atherosclerosis in future.