Making Irregular Heart Rhythm Bearable
Ursodiol, a substance derived from bear bile, is used to fight cholesterol and gallstones. Now researchers are finding that it may also be effective against certain heart defects. The chemical is found in some traditional Chinese medicines and in some pharmaceuticals manufactured in the West.
Drugs with ursodiol are currently deployed to dissolve gallstones. They also already have a known application in cardiovascular health, being used to decrease the body's production of cholesterol, including in a condition called obstetric cholestasis that can cause fetal arrhythmia.
Now scientists have discovered that ursodiol affects cells called myofibroblasts. These cells normally interfere with the electrical signals that keep the heart beating; ursodiol alters their electrical properties so the no longer block the signals.