Weight-loss drugs that mimic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) may help prevent further tissue damage after a heart attack, significantly lowering the risk of life-threatening complications that affect up to half of patients, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Bristol and University College London (UCL).
Published in Nature Communications, the study suggests that GLP-1–based weight-loss medications could represent a promising new therapeutic strategy for improving recovery after a heart attack.
Previous research has shown that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs can reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular events, regardless of a person’s existing health conditions or the amount of weight lost.
In the new study, researchers sought to understand the biological mechanisms behind these protective effects. Building on earlier findings that pericytes constrict coronary capillaries at the onset of ischaemia, when the heart receives insufficient oxygen-rich blood, the team investigated whether GLP-1 could help reverse these blockages.
Nearly half of all heart attack patients experience persistent narrowing of tiny blood vessels in the heart muscle even after the main blocked artery has been reopened during emergency treatment. This condition, known as “no-reflow,” prevents blood from reaching parts of the heart tissue and significantly increases the risk of death or hospital admission for heart failure within a year of the heart attack.
Previous research showed that constriction of these small blood vessels plays a major role in the no-reflow phenomenon. However, these latest findings suggest that GLP-1 drugs may help prevent this complication.
Using animal models, the researchers found that GLP-1 drugs improve blood flow to the heart after a heart attack by activating potassium channels, which relax pericytes. This relaxation allows previously constricted blood vessels to dilate, restoring blood flow and reducing further damage to the heart.
The growing use of GLP-1 drugs in clinical practice makes these findings particularly significant. With a rapidly increasing number of GLP-1 drugs already being prescribed for conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and kidney disease, these results suggest these medications could potentially be repurposed to reduce the risk of no-reflow in heart attack patients. This could provide a new and potentially life-saving treatment option.
Source: University of Bristol
Image Credit: iStock
