Reduced Ischaemic Tolerance in the Aged Myocardium: The Role of Adenosine and Adenosine Receptors

尽管在过去十年中，心脏病导致的死亡率有所下降，但心血管疾病仍然是65岁以上人群过早死亡的最大原因。它占医疗保健费用的一个主要部分，而且越来越多。冠状动脉疾病影响50%的65岁以上的人，随着我们人口的老龄化，估计在未来30年内，老年人口将从13-14%增加到25%，几乎翻一番。不幸的是，老年心脏似乎对疾病和损伤的抵抗力较低，导致死亡率随着年龄的增长而增加。原因不明。这项研究项目将试图确定在衰老过程中心脏发生的分子变化，这些变化可能导致抵抗疾病和损伤的能力下降。这项研究将专门研究一种被称为腺苷受体系统的关键保护性反应在老年心脏细胞中以某种方式受损或异常的可能性。如果发现这一过程受到损害，研究人员将尝试使用新的基因治疗技术来纠正这种异常，以开启心脏自身的内在防御机制。这可能最终为老年人缺血性心脏病的特定治疗方法开辟新的途径。

Despite a decline in deaths rates due to heart disease over the last decade, cardiovascular disease remains the single greatest cause of premature death in individuals over 65 years of age. It accounts for a major and increasing portion of health care costs. Coronary artery disease affects 50% of those older than 65, and with the ageing of our population it is estimated that the elderly population will nearly double from 13-14% to 25% over the next 30 years. Unfortunately, it appears that the aged heart is less resistant to disease and injury, contributing to the increase in mortality with ageing. The reasons are not known. This research project will attempt to identify molecular changes which occur in the heart during ageing which may lead to a decline in ability to withstand disease and injury. The research will specifically examine the possibility that a key protective response, known as the adenosine receptor system, is somehow impaired or abnormal in the cells of the aged heart. If it is found that this process is impaired, the research will attempt to rectify this abnormality using new genetic therapy techniques to switch on the heart's own intrinsic defense mechanisms. This may ultimately open up new avenues for specific therapeutic approaches to treatment of ischaemic heart disease in the elderly.