Injury, Infection, and Inflammation - The Trilogy of Vascular Disease
Sanjeev Sirpal
University of Miami School of Medicine, Sirpal Enterprises, LLC, Florida International University, Pembroke Pines, FL 33026, USA
Abstract:
There is an emerging and significant body of research that suggests that inflammatory-induced carbamylation may serve as a central mechanism that links infection, inflammation, and vascular injury, i.e., atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD). Recent, exciting findings suggest that central inflammatory pathways stand interposed as the molecular mediators of vascular injury, and hence, are promising therapeutic targets. A common molecular pathway implicated in vascular disease is myeloperoxidase (MPO) - mediated protein carbamylation. MPO is a heme peroxidase found in leukocytes and is abundant in macrophages surrounding vascular lesions, i.e., those seen in ASVD. Several lines of evidence support the role of MPO-mediated carbamylation of proteins in atherogenesis. I previously described the potential role that MPO-mediated carbamylation may play in atherogenesis via dysfunctional HDL formation. However, new findings demonstrate that MPO-mediated carbamylation plays a broader, more central role in infection, inflammation, and vascular injury. This research is especially timely in light of findings that MPO-induced protein carbamylation is a novel pathway whereby chronic infections may play a role in atherogenesis.
