Statins 'prevent artery ageing'

Michael Whitely
VTTP 434-502

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and with the continued rise of obesity, this trend does not seem to be dissipating any time soon. Patients with heart disease suffer from arteries that have effectively aged faster than their healthier counterparts. A current treatment for this disease is for the patient to be placed on statins. These drugs help to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood. This treatment works by reducingHMG-CoA reductase, the rate limiting enzyme of chelestoral synthesis. In recent studies these drugs are showing to have unknown benefits, such as the increased activity in heart cells.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have found evidence that statins can hold back the aging process of arteries by increasing the “liveliness” of the arterial cells. It is known that cells of the body can only divide a given number of times. However, research has shown that statins have increased arterial cell division from 7-13 times more often than normal. These cells help to keep the patients arteries clear of potentially harmful plaque.

This advancement in cell health is due to the increase of the protein, NBS-1. This protein is invloved in the repair of DNA, and decreases the aging process of the artery. If these statins could somehow be used to assist other cells, this could be a major breakthrough in cancer treatments as well. Adverse effects of radiation and chemotherapy could be greatly reduced.

This article provide hope for a very serious dilema that thousands of americans face. Sometimes the treatment of cancer is not worth the suffering it causes. In fact, many people die from the treatment rather than the cancer. This article caught my attention becuause of the great potential it has to vastly improve the quality of cancer therapy.

URL - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7637937.stm