Future drugs may augment statin therapy
Cardiovascular patients who need to keep their cholesterol levels in check can buy Canadian Lipitor.
Cardiovascular patients who need to keep their cholesterol levels in check can buy Canadian Lipitor. This medication, along with other statins, has become a mainstay in helping people maintain their heart health. However, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have collaborated with scientists from the UK in identifying a new drug target that may lead to medications that augment statin therapy.
Low-density lipoprotein, also known as LDL or "bad" cholesterol, may cause heart problems if it builds up in the coronary arteries. The liver produces LDL receptors that help bind and remove bad cholesterol from the blood.
The study team discovered that an enzyme known as IDOL helps reign in the number of LDL receptors produced in the body. Developing drugs that target IDOL can lower cholesterol by making more LDL receptors available.
These findings are published in the journals Genes & Development and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
"A potential future drug that targets IDOL could be prescribed in conjunction with statin drugs, which also cut cholesterol levels by increasing production of the LDL receptor, and these two studies make considerable headway towards this," said researcher John Schwabe.
The researchers have subsequently filed two patents.
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