Dr Sarah Walsh s.walsh@rgu.ac.uk
Research Fellow
Dr Sarah Walsh s.walsh@rgu.ac.uk
Research Fellow
Professor Giovanna Bermano g.bermano@rgu.ac.uk
Professor
High blood sugar, high blood pressure, and obesity are all features of the ‘umbrella term’ metabolic syndrome (MetS) which affects 1 in 3 people over 50 years old in the UK. MetS increases the risk of developing heart disease and in particular the conditions atherosclerosis (build-up of fatty plaques in the blood vessels), heart failure, and stroke.
MetS impacts the cardiovascular system (i.e. the heart and blood vessels) in a range of diverse ways, but chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and elevated blood glucose levels are the main effects. Understanding how these factors damage blood vessel cells and discovering biomarkers of early damage can help avoid cardiovascular illnesses and effectively control risk factors. Cells called vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) form an important part of the blood vessel and help to control both blood flow and blood pressure. In atherosclerosis caused by MetS, these cells increase in number (i.e. proliferate), move from the healthy blood vessels to the fatty plaque (i.e. migration), where they absorb fat (i.e. become foam cells) and die prematurely (a process called ferroptosis), which combined increases the risk of the fatty plaque rupturing and causing a blockage in the blood vessel. This project will therefore try to identify components within these cells that may cause their malfunctioning, and one possible component is glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4).
GPX4, a selenium-containing protein, protects cells, especially VSMCs, from oxidative stress and early cell death (ferroptosis). However, GPX4 does not work properly in the setting of MetS and a mutation in the GPX4 gene (called a SNP) has been linked to an increased risk of MetS features like atherosclerosis. We will use cells (i.e. VSMCs) that we have previously grown from the blood vessels of mice that have the GPX4 SNP/mutation and normal mice to investigate how the GPX4 mutation and selenium status affect biological pathways that lead to ferroptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress to identify markers of atherosclerosis.
Type of Project | Research Grant |
---|---|
Status | Project Live |
Funder(s) | Tenovus Scotland |
Value | £14,750.00 |
Project Dates | Sep 1, 2023 - Apr 30, 2025 |
sFRPs as a novel modulator of diastolic heart failure Oct 1, 2017 - Dec 31, 2021
Following a heart attack, or because of persistently high blood pressure the heart is damaged and has to work harder to circulate blood around the body. This condition is known as heart failure. In the UK alone, 500,000 people have heart failure re...
Read More about sFRPs as a novel modulator of diastolic heart failure.
A human Glutathione Peroxidase 4 3 untranslated region knock-in mouse model to study susceptibility to colon cancer in obesity Apr 1, 2017 - Dec 31, 2021
Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is rising steadily and in parallel with increasing prevalence of obesity in Scotland. Recent data indicate that the highest incidence rates are in the North East. The increasing prevalence of obes...
Read More about A human Glutathione Peroxidase 4 3 untranslated region knock-in mouse model to study susceptibility to colon cancer in obesity.
The in vitro effect of natural products and anti-cancer agents: targeting the efflux transporter ABCG2 Jul 1, 2017 - Dec 31, 2019
Medicinal use of natural products, such as, extracts from plants have existed for many years particularly in China and are now widely available around the world. Several different types of cancer including breast cancer are becoming insensitive and r...
Read More about The in vitro effect of natural products and anti-cancer agents: targeting the efflux transporter ABCG2.
Extracting added value from the Seaweed Industry - a search for novel anti-obesity agents Oct 1, 2018 - Dec 31, 2022
Seaweed farming is a growing industry in the UK, with the majority of the biomass being used for the extraction of high yield products such as aliginates, or for use as biofuels.
However, a significant amount of the biomass remains un-used and t...
Read More about Extracting added value from the Seaweed Industry - a search for novel anti-obesity agents.
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