Researchers have identified a new player in the control of so-called "good" cholesterol that circulates in the bloodstream and reduces heart attack risk, according to a report in the August issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press.
Should the metabolic pathway uncovered in mice operate similarly in humans, the new discovery could point the way to therapies that protect against heart disease by boosting concentrations of the beneficial high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).
"By and large, the medicines now available lower levels of the "Bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]," said Weijun Jin of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "There is a great need for methods to raise good cholesterol levels. Our findings suggest there may be multiple places to interrupt the metabolism of HDL-C."
LDL-C can build up in blood vessel walls, increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke. By contrast, HDL-C tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver, a process known as reverse cholesterol transport,where it is broken down and then eliminated from the body.
Existing LDL-C-lowering drugs such as statins can reduce the risk of heart attack by 20 to 35 percent, Jin said. However, treatment methods that would simultaneously lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol have the potential to work even better. Indeed, researchers believe that increasing HDL-C while lowering LDL-C might cut heart attack risk by as much as 70 percent, he explained.