The research team from Tulane University in Louisiana discovered the mechanism that occurs due to this DNA. This discovery is expected to lead to the development of new drugs or diagnostics to prevent stroke.
According to the Science Daily website, Professor Cooper Woods, who led the research, said: “Inflammation is a known risk factor in atherosclerosis, which leads to stroke and heart attacks.” “The carotid and coronary plaques develop a thin protective covering that can rupture, for reasons that are unclear, making strokes and heart attacks more likely.”
The researchers found that the ruptured plaques had increased markers of B cells, a white blood cell whose role in plaque rupture had not previously been appreciated.
Previous studies have relied on samples from the carotid artery obtained after a patient’s death or months after a stroke or heart attack. This did not provide enough information about what happens at the time of stroke.
Carotid artery occlusion is a common cause of some ischemic strokes, which occur when blood flow to part of the brain is cut off, preventing brain tissue from getting essential oxygen and nutrients.