CiMUS researchers identify a key mechanism that could reduce the vascular calcification in diabetic patients

A team of researchers from the Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), centre of the USC part of the CIGUS Network — an initiative promoted by the Xunta de Galicia that brings together centers accredited for their scientific excellence — has published a study in the journal Cardiovascular Diabetology. The findings could revolutionize the treatment of cardiovascular complications in people with diabetes.

The research, led by Dr. Ricardo Villa-Bellosta, a principal investigator at CiMUS, reveals that elevated glucose levels in diabetic patients negatively affect the metabolism of extracellular pyrophosphate, a powerful natural inhibitor of vascular calcification. This discovery suggests a potential pathway to prevent calcification in arteries and other blood vessels in people with diabetes, representing a significant breakthrough for cardiovascular health.

Vascular calcification is a condition in which calcium deposits accumulate on the walls of blood vessels, impairing blood flow and increasing the risk of severe cardiovascular diseases. This complication is particularly prevalent in people with diabetes and is associated with a higher mortality rate from events such as heart attacks and strokes. “Our research has shown that hyperglycemia in diabetes can reduce extracellular pyrophosphate levels, a natural inhibitor of vascular calcification, creating an environment conducive to calcium accumulation in arteries,” explains Dr. Villa-Bellosta.

The CiMUS team studied these effects using both cellular and animal models, discovering that extracellular pyrophosphate metabolism is severely disrupted under high-glucose conditions. In these models, elevated glucose levels led to a reduction in pyrophosphate production while increasing phosphate levels, a factor that promotes calcification. This imbalance disrupts the body’s natural mechanisms to prevent calcification, a process exacerbated in diabetic patients. “We identified that key enzymes involved in pyrophosphate metabolism are altered under hyperglycemic conditions, significantly impairing the body’s ability to protect against vascular calcification,” adds Dr. Villa-Bellosta.

Roundtable Discussion for World Diabetes Day

This breakthrough was one of the topics discussed at a roundtable organized by CiMUS the 14^th of November in commemoration of World Diabetes Day. Specialists from this Singular Center and the IDIS gathered to share key challenges and advances in managing the disease. Researchers Carlos Diéguez, Iria Gómez-Touriño, Miguel Ángel Martínez-Olmos, Ricardo Villa-Bellosta, and Rubén Nogueiras addressed the close relationship between diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, immunology, endocrinology, and nutrition.

The day’s events were inaugurated by Irene Bonome, Deputy Director General for Scientific and Technological Promotion at Universities; Jaime Gómez, Director of the Department of Biochemistry at USC; Juan Zalvide, Director of the Department of Physiology at USC; and José Luis Labandeira, Deputy Director of CiMUS.