Gut microbiota-derived imidazole propionate predicts cardiometabolic risk in patients with coronary artery disease
A recent original research article by Wenzl FA et al., published in the European Heart Journal, establishes imidazole propionate (ImP), a gut microbiota-derived molecular driver of vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, as a novel nontraditional cardiovascular risk factor in patients with coronary artery disease. While the management of traditional cardiovascular risk factors has significantly improved the outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease over the past decades, the current drug armamentarium lacks strategies directed at modulating the microbiome and its metabolites. The potential integration of the gut-heart axis in future treatment approaches holds promise for more personalized and effective secondary prevention.
Key highlights:
• ImP associates with cardio-metabolic traits
• ImP predicts residual cardiovascular risk
• ImP adds to gut microbiota-related risk
• ImP represents a novel therapeutic target for secondary prevention
The study translates recent mechanistic work on ImP into the clinical arena paving the way for randomized controlled trials on immunomodulatory strategies involving the gut-heart axis for secondary prevention:
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