Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have identified the location of plaque ruptures that can lead to strokes and heart attacks, and discovered a marker that may be used to predict patients at risk. The team found plaques in the carotid artery often ruptured at the beginning of the area of plaque accumulation, closest to the heart. The researchers also identified an enzyme called MMP-9, which is associated with the area of plaque rupture and can help predict future cardiovascular disease in patients with atherosclerosis. There are hopes that MMP-9 could also be targeted to prevent plaque rupture, but the researchers are cautious, as it also has other important functions within the body. Atherosclerosis is an accumulation of fatty deposits in artery walls.
The study included 188 participants, some with type 2 diabetes, a group at high risk of dying from complications linked to atherosclerosis. Researchers used electron microscopes and RNA sequencing techniques, and the study is the first to focus solely on the locations where plaques rupture rather than on how they form.
