James Liao, M.D., of the Harvard-associated Brigham and Women's Hospital, said EETs may also be important in some cancers and rheumatic diseases where inflammatory cells have a role. Atherosclerosis, a thickening and build-up of plaque in the arteries, occurs when the innermost layer of the artery, the endothelium, becomes damaged by cholesterol, toxins, oxidants, or infectious agents. The damaged endothelial cells in the artery walls produce adhesion molecules. These adhesion molecules allow white blood cells to accumulate in the vessel wall. A heart attack or stroke can result.
Heart attacks are the number one cause of death in the United States.
The researchers discovered that EETs and their stable metabolites can suppress the artery's endothelium from producing the adhesion molecules. Furthermore, the researchers found that transferring the human CYP2J2 gene into the endothelial cells reproduced the anti-inflammatory effects. They said this suggests that, in the future, these genes might be transferred into arteries by gene therapy to help reduce vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis risk.