Lowering Cholesterol with Synthetic HDL?

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Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a synthetic form of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or the “good” cholesterol, which they hope will lead to a clinically useful treatment for the prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

They used nanotechnology to manipulate matter at the molecular level. The synthetic HDL is composed of a tiny core of gold surrounded by fat molecules with an outer layer of the HDL protein ApoA-1.

The resultant HDL particles are similar in size and structure to naturally occurring HDL. The synthesized compound was designed to help prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

The researchers report that studies show that the man-made nanoparticles bind to cholesterol. This suggests that they will act as a sponge in the body to soak up the bad cholesterol (LDL particles) that causes the formation of artery-clogging plaque.

This research effort is nothing but impressive. Instead of using pharmaceuticals to control blood cholesterol levels, a heart doctor would have a more direct, less harmful, and probably more heart friendly approach to deal with high cholesterol.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 5:09 pm and is filed under Heart Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Lowering Cholesterol with Synthetic HDL?”

Nursing Online on June 3rd, 2010 at 4:26 am

Keep it up!

Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally