The synthesised compound, Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), is already used to reduce cholesterol production and to dissolve gallstones.
Now, a team at Imperial College London has shown it could also treat potentially dangerous abnormal heart rhythms. The study shows that UDCA could prevent abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia, both in people who’ve had a heart attack, and in foetuses. It alters the electrical properties of myofibroblast cells, which are present in the foetal heart and in patients who’ve suffered heart attack, says the team.
Researchers found myofibroblasts disrupt the transmission of electrical signals that control heart rhythm. “These findings are exciting. Our results suggest that UDCA could help the heart muscle conduct electrical signals more normally,” said Dr Julia Gorelik, the study’s lead author, was quoted by the BBC as saying.
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