New cell therapy shows promise against atherosclerosisMarch 2nd, 2011 - 6:16 pm ICT by ANI
Washington, March 2 (ANI): A new study on mice has found that cell therapy can be used to reverse the effect of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and reduce the inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis.
And if the results obtained by researchers at Karolinska Institute prove translatable to humans, they study can open the way for new therapies for stroke and myocardial infarction.
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammation of the blood vessels. Cholesterol is transported in the blood in particles called LDL (’bad’ cholesterol) that can accumulate in the vessel walls.
This triggers the body’s immune system to react against LDL, which then cause inflammation in the vessels, and eventually thrombus formation.
If such a thrombus forms in the coronary artery, the patient suffers a myocardial infarction; if it forms in the brain, a stroke can result.
The research group, led by Professor Goran K Hansson at the Centre for Molecular Medicine, have developed a cell therapy that selectively dampens vascular inflammation induced by LDL.
The therapy makes use of dendritic cells, which are characterized by a high degree of plasticity that renders them amenable to manipulation.
“With the appropriate treatment, dendritic cells can be made to inhibit rather than aggravate the inflammation around the LDL particles in the blood vessels”, said Andreas Hermansson, one of the researchers conducting the study.
The mouse studies have demonstrated substantial protective effects of the treatment, with a reduction of the atherosclerosis process of up around 70 percent.
The research is presented in the prestigious scientific journal Circulation. (ANI)
- Biomarker can nip hardening of arteries in the bud - Jan 22, 2012
- Post-menopause, women more vulnerable to heart attacks - Jun 12, 2012
- Newly mechanism that forms blood clots discovered - Dec 11, 2009
- Experts wary of Lancet's study on good cholesterol - Jun 14, 2012
- Vitamin D supplement won't help in short term - Sep 05, 2012
- Low levels of natural antibodies may trigger stroke - Feb 13, 2010
- Ill-effect of high-fat meal linked to belly fat - Feb 18, 2011
- New study reinforces belly fat, high-fat meals and heart disease link - Feb 18, 2011
- Statin can prevent strokes, besides lowering lipids - Jan 05, 2012
- Clogged arteries can also cause clouded thinking - Jul 22, 2011
- New stem cells could help heal damaged hearts - Dec 23, 2011
- Simple jab could limit heart attacks and stroke damages - Apr 19, 2011
- Two therapies that may slow diabetic eye disease progression found - Jul 24, 2010
- Cholesterol levels in young adults predict future heart disease risk - Aug 03, 2010
- Why low vitamin D ups diabetics' heart disease risk - Aug 22, 2009
Tags: atherosclerosis, bad cholesterol, cholesterol, chronic inflammation, coronary artery, dendritic cells, goran, hansson, immune system, inflammation of the blood vessels, journal circulation, karolinska institute, ldl cholesterol, ldl particles, molecular medicine, myocardial infarction, plasticity, research group, vascular inflammation, vessel walls