Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new mechanism that controls the 'good' cholesterol or HDL, whose high level seems to protect against cardiovascular diseases.
If the metabolic pathway uncovered in mice is found to 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).
High Density Lipoproteins - LDL/HDL and total/HDL ratio
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives details regarding LDL/HDL and total/HDL ratios
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Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (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.
As part of the study, Weijun Jin and colleagues demonstrated that treatments that partially block the activity of liver enzymes called proprotein convertases decreased plasma HDL-C levels in mice.
![Study Finds Abdominal Fat Not the Prime Cause for Metabolic Syndrome]( "Study Finds Abdominal Fat Not the Prime Cause for Metabolic Syndrome")
Researchers have found that abdominal fat is not the primary factor for causing metabolic syndrome but insulin resistance also plays a part in leading to a cluster of
The study showed that metabolic effect of the proprotein convertases depended on yet another factor, an enzyme called endothelial lipase (EL), which breaks down HDL-C.
Researchers noted that Proprotein convertases normally reduce EL function, thus the loss of proprotein convertase activity leads to an increase in EL and a decline in HDL-C.
Likewise, they showed that increased activity of proprotein convertases in the liver gave a significant boost to the protective HDL-C.
"Proprotein convertases are an unexpected new player in HDL-C metabolism. By manipulating levels of the enzyme in both directions, we were able to reduce HDL-C to almost nothing or double it. That wide range of effects suggests that it may be theoretically possible to manipulate good cholesterol levels to whatever point you like," Jin said.
The findings of the study were published in the August issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press.
Source: ANI
LIN/J
Study Finds Abdominal Fat Not the Prime Cause for Metabolic Syndrome
Researchers have found that abdominal fat is not the primary factor for causing metabolic syndrome but insulin resistance also plays a part in leading to a cluster of
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The study showed that metabolic effect of the proprotein convertases depended on yet another factor, an enzyme called endothelial lipase (EL), which breaks down HDL-C.
Researchers noted that Proprotein convertases normally reduce EL function, thus the loss of proprotein convertase activity leads to an increase in EL and a decline in HDL-C.
Likewise, they showed that increased activity of proprotein convertases in the liver gave a significant boost to the protective HDL-C.
"Proprotein convertases are an unexpected new player in HDL-C metabolism. By manipulating levels of the enzyme in both directions, we were able to reduce HDL-C to almost nothing or double it. That wide range of effects suggests that it may be theoretically possible to manipulate good cholesterol levels to whatever point you like," Jin said.
The findings of the study were published in the August issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press.
Source: ANI
LIN/J
Cardiovascular disease - Lipids
Distance education for Overview of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease
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