(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Millions of Americans have high blood pressure also
develop diabetes and other metabolic complications. New research identifies the
underlying molecular mechanism for this chain reaction of diseases.
Bioengineering researchers at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering report
on their latest finding. The research was conducted in rats. They say they not
only pinpointed the molecular mechanism in a strain of rats that explains
metabolic disorders, but they found a drug developed for unrelated reasons can
reverse the symptoms.
Researchers say in the rats with hypertension they found significant levels of
proteases, enzymes that break down proteins. This sets off a chain of reactions
that affects insulin levels and can lead to diabetes. Then the team tested if a
protease-blocking drug could reverse the multiple metabolic complications in the
rat strain. They gave them the drug, doxycycline which is an antibiotic used for
bacterial infections. It wasn’t a likely drug choice, but researchers say
laboratory tests show it worked at blocking activity of certain proteases in the
rat strain.
Study authors say these studies indicate hypertension and cell dysfunctions
associated with metabolic syndrome may be part of an enzymatic auto-digestion
process in which proteases in our body become uncontrolled and break down
proteins.
SOURCE: Published online in Hypertension on June 30, 2008
