Hedgehogs May Be Risky for Heart Patients

07/18/08 Research

New anticancer agents, known as hedgehog antagonists, may be a bad bet for patients also at risk for heart disease.

When prescribed in the course of cancer treatment, hedgehog antagonists interfere with a process that encourages some cancer cells to grow. However, according to a recent study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the same drugs when given to mice with heart disease, caused heart function to deteriorate and led to some deaths.

Hedgehog genes, named because their spiky shape resembles the small, spiny mammals, are found in all organisms and play an important role in guiding cells to grow into the appropriate form for proper function. Hedgehog antagonists inhibit the hedgehog signaling pathway, a chain of biochemical signals that regulate cell growth and differentiation.

The hedgehog signaling pathway is critical to the development of the heart’s blood supply. The new Washington University research shows that the pathway is also important in maintaining blood vessels around and in the heart.

When hedgehog signaling was blocked in adult mice, many of their smaller cardiac blood vessels disappeared, leaving their hearts short of oxygen. The result was often heart failure. In another part of the same study, mice with experimentally induced heart attacks whose hedgehog pathways were blocked fared badly.

This study is the first time hedgehog signaling was investigated in adult hearts—albeit those in mice. Researchers say their findings may help them target new drugs to treat heart disease. It is also possible that hedgehog signaling could also be used to maintain blood vessels in other parts of the body, especially the brain, which has a very dense blood vessel network. 

Mari S. Gold is has written for The New York Times, American Profile, Relish Magazine, TravelSmart, Indianapolis Monthly, and numerous e-zines. An avid cook and foodie, she contributes restaurant reviews to Zagat Guides and The Vermont News Guide, and is working on a young adult novel with a food theme. Married with grown children and two cats, she divides her time between New York City where she is director of communications for a major health care organization, and Dorset, Vermont.