A common and often dangerous side-effect of antiplatelet medications is an increase in bleeding. As such, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago created a therapeutic that will prevent blood clots without the chance of increased bleeding.
"Unfortunately, current antiplatelet medications prevent the blood clotting that cause heart attack and stroke but also disrupt platelets' ability to stop bleeding if a blood vessel is torn," says Xiaoping Du, a UIC professor of pharmacology and regenerative medicine at the College of Medicine who led the research. "In some cases, severe bleeding can be life-threatening. The magic of this new drug is it prevents clots but does not make people prone to bleeding, which other drugs have failed to do."
Findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine describes the peptide-derived nanoparticle drug called ‘M3mP6’ and can treat heart attacks in mice. The results confirm the drug's capability in reducing clotting and inflammation.
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Researchers were able to test the efficacy and safety of the drug in mouse models and administer the therapeutic via injection. They found that the mice had an overall improved survival as a result of improved heart function.
"It is very exciting to see such promising results in the lab and we hope to one day test this in humans," Du said.
Source: Science Daily
