Drug that ‘melts away’ the fat inside arteries
Anew drug that ‘melts away’ the fat that builds up inside arteries has been hailed as a ‘big breakthrough’ in the fight against heart disease. The medication has already been successful in trials for the treatment of breast cancer and diabetes and now scientists at Aberdeen University have discovered it could also boost cardiovascular health.
Just a single dose of trodusquemine tested on mice ‘completely reversed’ atherosclerosis, a disease that causes most heart attacks and strokes. The disease causes arteries to become clogged with fatty substances called plaques, which over time, narrows your arteries.
Researchers believe the drug ‘mimics’ the effects of exercise and activates a protective enzyme. It also inhibits another enzyme that causes prolonged inflammation and hardens arteries. Ex- perts said their findings have the potential to ‘significantly reduce deaths’, given that heart disease is the number one cause of death globally, killing 17.7 million people a year.
Professor Mirela Delibegovic from the University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Medical Sciences, who led the study, told Mail Online: “We know this drug has been shown to have beneficial effects on reducing prolonged inflammation in type 2 diabetes and because this is also a factor in atherosclerosis we wanted to know if it had cardiovascular benefits too.”
“And our initial tests on mice show that it does, so this is potentially a big breakthrough. Essentially, when it comes to the key enzymes in play here, trodusquemine is stopping the bad guy and helping the good guy. ‘We will now need to carry out further research to see if the same effect is replicated in humans and it can be proven to be safe.”
“All humans have some level of atherosclerosis, according to Professor Delibegovic. “We all have these fatty streaks inside our arteries to some degree and as we age atherosclerosis is accelerated,” she explained.”
If blood flow to your heart muscle is reduced or blocked, you can develop angina (chest pain or discomfort) or a heart attack. When the flow of blood to the brain is blocked, it can cause a stroke. Atherosclerosis doesn’t tend to have any symptoms at first, and many people may be unaware they have it. However, with soaring rates of obesity, any drug that can reduce the harmful effects of being overweight on the heart could have a huge impact.