Artery Cells Can Produce Heart Disease-Linked Protein
(HealthDayNews, 3/28/05)

Ishwarlal Jialal of the Laboratory for Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Research at the University of California, Davis Medical Center, and team, have demonstrated that the endothelial cells, which line the arteries, can secrete C-reactive protein, a risk marker for cardiovascular disease. These findings bring a new perspective to the scientific explanation of how arterial plaque forms, since ironically these same cells were thought to protect blood vessels from C-reactive protein. The scientists now theorize that, as plaque accumulates on the blood vessel lining, endothelial cells may promote C-reactive protein and this process might lead to plaque rupture, causing heart attacks and/or strokes.

(University of California, Davis, news release, March 16, 2005)