Researchers from Cleveland Clinic (USA) managed to find a molecule in the human body, which can naturally fight with the formation of plaques in arteries and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is a disease that occurs because of disturbance of lipid metabolism accompanied by deposition of cholesterol plaques on the inner walls of arteries. This condition can adversely affect the health of blood vessels in the heart, brain and other organs, being the most common cause of heart attacks and strokes.
At the cellular level, plaques are formed as a result of the dysfunction of macrophages and leukocytes when they infiltrate the vascular wall. American researchers from the Department of Molecular Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic, led by MD Eugene Podrez, managed to detect human Akt3 molecules, which regulate lipid metabolism in macrophages and prevent the formation and consolidation of cholesterol plaques in arteries.
Dr. Podrez, describing the results of his research, said that this discovery would contribute to the invention of new drugs to prevent atherosclerosis. It will also help health professionals to create screening tests that determine the risk of developing the disease.
