Each year, approximately 610,000 Americans suffer their first heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart attacks and other symptoms of cardiovascular disease can be caused when blockage occurs in the arteries. In a new study from the University of Missouri (MU), a scientist has discovered a natural defense against arterial blockage: bilirubin. Bilirubin is typically something parents of newborns hear about when their children are diagnosed with jaundice. Generated during the body's process to recycle worn-out red blood cells, bilirubin is metabolized by the liver and, usually, leaves the body harmlessly. (Many babies' livers are not developed enough to metabolize the bilirubin, which results in the infants being diagnosed with jaundice, or high levels of bilirubin in their systems.) Now MU scientists have found that bilirubin can be used to inhibit the clogging of arteries, and thus prevent the deadly consequences often experienced by individuals with cardiovascular disease. "Bilirubin is generated daily in the human body, but it's not a waste product; it has important functions, including being an antioxidant," said Dr. William Durante, professor of medical pharmacology and physiology and lead author on the study. "What we found in our study is that bilirubin can prevent or limit the damage that occurs to blood vessels in individuals who have, or are at risk for, cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis." When arteries are damaged, smooth muscle cells in blood vessels become activated and grow at the injury sites creating lesions inside the arteries. These lesions can block the flow of blood in arteries of the heart leading to chest pains or deadly heart attacks, Dr. Durante said.Login Or Register To Read Full Story