Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of
Saskatchewan, Marta Cerruti, an Associate Professor in McGill’s
Department of Materials Engineering, and her team analyzed damaged
heart valves from patients who had undergone transplants.

Their findings, recently published in Acta Biomaterialia, show
considerable differences in the mineral deposits found in aortic
valves of men and women who suffer from stenosis, a life-threatening
heart condition caused by a narrowing of the aortic valve opening.

“What we showed, which was a surprise to us, is that the type of
minerals in the heart valves is different between the sexes,” said
Cerruti. “We unexpectedly found that the minerals are different in
composition and shape, and that they grow slower in women.”

Mineral composition analysis performed at the Soft X-Ray
Mischaracterization Beamline, which is housed within the CLS, also
determined that a type of mineral deposit was found almost exclusively
in samples from female patients.

Taking diversity into consideration

Cerruti says that her findings demonstrate the importance of thinking
about diversity in the context of research, a concept that has
historically been a blind spot for the scientific community. For
example, using only male mice in experiments used to be a standard
practice.

“Our study is the perfect illustration that by only looking at a
specific population, you will skew your data,” she says. “Having a
more diverse data set improves your science,”

Heart disease remains the global leading cause of death in both men
and women. With 280,000 heart valves being replaced every year in
Canada due to stenosis, Cerruti says her work demonstrates the need to
develop different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches when treating
aortic stenosis in men or women.

In order to make that happen, Cerruti’s group will return to the CLS
to further investigate this cardiovascular phenomenon and understand
the precise composition of the mineral deposits they found in women.

“Understanding what the minerals are could definitely help to develop
a cure,” she says. “It’s possible that there could be easier ways to
target these minerals and dissolve them for women.”

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About this study

“Differences in mineral composition and morphology between men and
women in aortic valve calcification” by Marta Cerruti and al. was
published in Acta Biomaterialia.