The protein that reveals the heart’s ability to repair itself: Thymosin Beta-4

Beyond all the miraculous systems in the body, the heart by itself is
one of the finest examples of flawless creation. No similar artificial
mechanism that"can keep someone alive" has thus far been built,
despite all the recent scientific advances. With the cells that
comprise it, its special valve systems andthe manner in which the
opening and closing of these valves is regulated, the heart is an
organ with exceptionally complex and special systems. No other organ
can do anything like the work itperforms.
· What happens in the event of an impairment in the functioning of thisorgan?
· How can the heart repair itself following a heart attack?
· What role does the thymosin beta-4 (TB4) molecule play in the
heart's self-repair?
Although it is only 22 days since its creation, a small collection of
cells on the left side of the fetus begins to move. This collection of
cells will never stop now, not for a very long time. It will never
tire. It will beat approximately 70 times per minute, some 35 million
times per year, and around two trillion times over the course of an
average lifespan. It will pump some 227 million liters of blood over
the course of a lifetime. It will tirelessly feed all the organs of
the body through the network of blood vessels . The heart functions
perfectly in every body because Allah so chooses, and everything it
does is under our Lord's control at every moment. Allah exhibits His
artistry of detail in the human body and reveals this in a verse:
" Allah brought you out of your mothers' wombs knowing nothing at all,
and gave you hearing, sight and hearts so that perhaps you would show
thanks." (Surat an-Nahl, 78)
This organ, the foundation of life, also uses blood to nourish itself.
However, in order to remind people of their weakness, our Lordmay
sometimes cause the vessels that feed the heart to narrow, using such
natural causes as cholesterol (blood fats), other fats, calcium and
combinations of other substances. This then leads to impaired
circulation in the blood vessels (coronary arteries) that supply the
heart, finally resulting ina heart defect. When thenarrowing of the
vessels turns into complete blockage over the course of time, the
resultis severe chest pain and a heart attack. This generally proves
fatal, though some victims do survive. But their hearts still suffer
damage from the attack.
Recent studies have onceagain shown Almighty Allah's love for and
mercy on His servants. Because a protein that the heart produces
during the developmental stage in children enables the damaged heart
to be repaired and increases the vessels supplying it.
The Healing Power of the Heart: Thymosin Beta-4
During a heart attack, heart cells die when the flow of blood to the
heart is suddenly cut off,resulting in irreparable damage. This damage
persists in the form of a decreased quality of life in the patient's
later life.
Until recently it used to be thought that, unlike other organs, the
heart had no ability to repair itself. Today, however, we know that
this damage can be put rightby the body. The proteinthymosin beta-4
(TB4), which plays a key role inthe development of the heart in
children, activates stem cells that are lie dormant in the adult
heart. These tiny proteins, known as thymosin, which comes in two
forms in living tissue, α 1 and β 4, possess the ability to reprogram
cells in the body. The protein is today administered in the form of a
drug, and sends the stem cells a code regarding the repair of the
heart. The heart thus heals itself without the need for other
treatment. Administered in pharmaceutical form, this protein improves
heart performance by upto 25% by causing stem cells to turn into heart
and artery cells. It repairs the damaged heart cells, increases the
arteries supplying the heart and permits the muscles to repair
themselves.
Allah, the Creator of All, Is Most Great
Events in our body that we are unaware of, and whose existence we have
usually never even heard of, take place inside us with the greatest
regularity. Our heartbeat, essential for our survival, is not
something we initiate ormaintain of our own will. Our heart is one of
the organs miraculously created by our Lord. Thisorgan begins beating
as a collection of cells whena person is still in his mother's womb,
and continues to flawlessly discharge its duties until the end of that
person's life.
Research in recent years has revealed that in the event of a defect
arising in this immaculately functioning organ, various proteins go
into action to repair it. However, proteins themselves possess no such
medical knowledgewith which to identify defects developing in the
heart, and lack the consciousness to save a person's life by taking
such precautions. Yet they are present in everyone's body and ready to
serve the same function. A protein with such superior properties is
neither the product of human intelligence nor of any supposed
evolutionary process. It was created by Allah, He who bestows order,
glory and perfection on all He creates. Allah is He Who meets the
needs of all created things ( Kafi ), He Who enfolds them ( Muhit )
and Who is mighty enough to do all that He wishes, in the manner He
wishes ( Kadir ). He is the only One to be thanked and praised ( Hamid
). He is the One who creates without previous models( Bedi ). This is
revealed in the following verse:
"the Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides on
something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is." (Surat al-Baqara,
117)
The heart is made up of special muscles that never tire. If your heart
muscles were to tire in doing things that cause you fatigue, then you
could never do such routine day-to-day activities as cleaning, sport,
climbing up stairs and the like. You would be exhausted before youeven
began. But apart from exceptional diseases, this never happens.
Because Allah manifests His infinite mercy on His servants by
bestowing tirelessness on the muscles of the heart. There is no doubt
that this is one of the matchless works of our Lord, who knows all
things down to the finest detail and Who manifests His omniscience in
every detail. The omniscience of Allah is revealed in the following
verse:
"... My Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge so will you not
pay heed?" (Surat al-An'am, 80)
There is a highly systematic mechanism inthe heart. That mechanism is
essential for human life. Otherwise, a single flaw arising in the
system could spell the end of the life of the person concerned. The
most important of the heart's mechanisms is the pumps on its right and
left. There are also auricles and ventricles on both sides of the
heart. The small pumps on either side are the auricles, while the
ventricles constitute the large pumps. The left side of the heart is
occupied with clean blood. It is the task of the left auricle and
ventricle to ensure that incoming blood reaches the organs and
tissues. The right side of the heart is occupied with used (dirty)
blood. The right auricle and ventricle send the blood to the lungs for
cleaning.
The Heart Is An Immaculate Organ Created By Almighty Allah
It Pumps Blood with Ease: The heart is a piece of flesh the size of a
fist composed of water, fatsand proteins. This piece of flesh
possesses a moreperfect and complex system than the most advanced
technological pump that all the expertsin the world could produce
using their computers. This matchless piece of flesh is strong enough
to cause blood to spout up to three meters in the air.
It Identifies Oxygen Requirements: The heart pumps as much blood as it
calculates the body needs. This wondrous organ pumps just four tosix
liters of blood per minute when the body isat rest. That is enough for
the person at that time as the cells in the body do not require
thatmuch oxygen just then. But someone doing strenuous exercise
needsmore oxygen. Oxygen needs to be transmitted to the cells more
quickly.The heart immediately identifies this need and begins beating
faster. The amount of blood pumped by the heart increases by four to
seven times during exercise.
It Supports Tiring Muscles: The heart never stops working, but
sometimes it works evenharder than usual. Whenone runs, the amount of
blood pumped by the heart can rise to 2,270 liters an hour. It can
raise its work rate from 70 beats per minute to 180 per minute in
order to provide the oxygen our tiring muscles need. It can increase
the amount of blood supplied to the tissues five-fold. When our other
muscles engage in a tiring activity, the heart accelerates to support
them.
It Coordinates the Auricles and Ventricles: The system in the heart
has perfect timing. That is the result of co-ordination and
communication among the cells that comprise the heart. The noteworthy
thing here, of course, is the "intelligence" in the cellsthat act
under the inspiration of Allah. The cells that make up the heart send
a current to the other side of the heart at a speed of some60
centimeters per second. The signal is sentfrom a region known as the
S.A. node. The cells that make up the S.A. node produce the signal in
just 1/14 of a second. There are cells that produce a second current
here, known as the A.V. node. The current sets the two auricles into
motion as itpasses and causes them to contract in order to collect
blood. When the electric current, that is still moving, reaches the
ventricular muscles, special fibrous cells in the muscle tissue
between the right auricle and the right ventricle halt it. This causes
a delay in the current reaching the ventricle. The speed of the
current falls to 20 centimeters per second and it begins being
transmitted in 1/16 of a second. This delay is exceedingly important.
Because of it, the auricles fill with blood before the ventricles
contract, and are thus able to prepare themselves to pump blood. This
is the secret of the synchronized action of the heart.