Leaders in Pharmaceutical Business Intelligence (LPBI) Group

Healing Powers of Fibrinogen

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

Recent research from University of Alberta is looking at the role of fibrinogen, the substrate of thrombin in regulating a natural defense mechanism in the body. Fibrinogen is a well-known protein that is essential for wound healing and blood clotting in the body. Levels of fibrinogen increase in inflammatory states as part of the acute-phase response.

However, daily variation in plasma fibrinogen levels weakens its potential as a biomarker of cardiovascular risk. The discovery is expected to contribute to enhanced diagnosis and treatments for patients in a variety of diseases ranging from inflammation, to heart failure, to cancer.

Yet, a study published in Scientific Reports in March 2019 show that fibrinogen can also be a natural inhibitor of an enzyme named MMP2, which is important for normal organ development and repair. The researchers believe an essential function of fibrinogen is to allow or disallow the enzyme to carry out its normal functions. Nevertheless, high levels of fibrinogen may disproportionately inhibit MMP2, that could result in arthritic and cardiac disorders.

The researcher highlights the inner workings of the MMP family of enzymes by having a greater understanding of how MMPs are regulated. They hypothesize that abnormal MMP2 activity could be an unwelcome side effect of common medications such as the cholesterol-lowering drugs and the antibiotic doxycycline, both of which are known to inhibit MMPs. They also emphasize that future therapeutic developments must strike a balance between the levels of MMPs and their inhibitors, such as fibrinogen, so that net MMP activity in the body remains at nearly normal levels.

SOURCE

https://www.technologynetworks.com/biopharma/news/healing-protein-also-hinders-320533?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News