How a drug could induce health benefits of exercise
The research team -- led by the University of Leeds -- has found that a protein called Piezo1 in the lining of blood vessels is able to detect a change in blood flow during exercise. They have described the protein as an 'exercise sensor'. During physical activity -- as the heart pumps more blood around the body -- the Piezo1 protein in the endothelium or lining of the arteries taking blood from the heart to the stomach and intestines senses the increased pressure on the wall of the blood vessels. In response, it slightly alters the electrical balance in the endothelium and this results in the blood vessels constricting. In a clever act of plumbing, that narrowing of the blood vessels reduces blood flow to the stomach and intestines, allowing more blood to reach the brain and muscles actively engaged in exercise. The scientists say this is ground-breaking research because it identifies for the first time a key biomolecular mechanism by which exercise is sensed. ...