Autophagy can help reserve atherosclerosis, preventing heart attack
Americans who struggle with high cholesterol levels may require a prescription to buy Lipitor in order to reduce their risk of having a heart attack.
Americans who struggle with high cholesterol levels may require a prescription to buy Lipitor in order to reduce their risk of having a heart attack. According to scientists from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the process of autophagy - in which cholesterol accumulated within artery walls gets broken down - could be a protective mechanism against cardiovascular disease.
Yves Marcel and his team from the HDL Biology Laboratory revealed that autophagy facilitates the removal of cholesterol, providing a potential drug target to reverse atherosclerosis. This condition, in which the arteries narrow, can lead to reduced blood flow and an increased risk of stroke.
The digestion of cholesterol through autophagy offers hope for the development of new drug therapies that may help export cholesterol from the walls of the arteries, according to the researchers. The team published its findings in the journal Cell Metabolism, where they presented an illustration of how cholesterol buildup triggers autophagy, leading to its elimination from the body.
"There is an urgent need to understand how cholesterol accumulation in arteries can be reversed," said researcher Mireille Ouimet, who participated in the study.
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