The hidden cause of unexpected cerebral hemorrhage is ‘this’ [와우! 과학]

Cerebral hemorrhage is a serious brain disease that can strike anyone without warning, and can sometimes lead to life-threatening emergencies. Trauma, high blood pressure, cerebral aneurysms, and cerebrovascular malformations are known to be the main causes of cerebral hemorrhage, and although they can be treated or controlled and prevented, there are many cases of cerebral hemorrhage whose exact cause is unknown. Scientists are continuing research to find a more accurate cause.

A research team at the University of California, Irvine, USA investigated the causes of capillary cerebral hemorrhage. The culprit the research team suspected was old red blood cells. Red blood cells are shaped like a donut with an indentation in the middle to effectively transport oxygen and not get caught in narrow capillaries, and are very flexible. However, as red blood cells age, their function declines and the likelihood of blockage in narrow blood vessels increases.

Fortunately, the human body has the ability to repair these problems on its own. Old red blood cells stuck in the narrow part of the capillaries are processed by vascular cells through the red blood cell phagocytic process, like removing paper jammed in a copy machine. However, this regulatory function also decreases with age. And old, bad red blood cells can also increase in older people.

The research team used drugs to make red blood cells look like old red blood cells, then added a fluorescent tag to them and injected them into mice. As a result, it was observed that blood vessel damage accumulated due to the inflammatory response caused by inflammatory microglia, which ultimately disposes of the trapped red blood cells. And when this damage accumulates, blood vessels can easily burst and cause bleeding.

This type of capillary hemorrhage ultimately causes damage not only to cerebral blood vessels but also to brain tissue, which appears to increase the risk of other brain diseases such as stroke or Alzheimer’s disease. This study is significant in that it revealed a new mechanism of cerebrovascular damage. However, the development of prevention and treatment through this is still a work of the future. Through continuous research, effective prevention and treatment methods for cerebrovascular disease, which threatens the lives of countless people every year, must be developed.

Gordon Jeong Science Columnist jjy0501@naver.com