Researchers cyclodextrin, a powdered booze compound, can dissolve cholesterol crystals clogging the arteries. The discovery can lead to new methods in treating atherosclerosis, which is one of the most common causes of death around the world.
Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries due to cholesterol plaque inside the arteries. These buildups are treated as early signs of the development of atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease and inflammation is a key driver.
Cyclodextrin helps reprogram the macrophage, which is a type of white blood cells. The reprogramming helps limit the macrophage's inflammatory response in the cholesterol crystal-laden blood vessels.
Moreover, cyclodextrin dissolves these crystals, enabling them to be flushed out from the body through the urine. In the mice study, the chemical compound helped in preventing buildup and even reducing the atherosclerotic plaque.
The mice were fed a diet heavy on cholesterol to mimic the plaque buildup in the blood vessels. After eight weeks, the team gave the mice two injections of cyclodextrin every week.
The plaque buildup decreased by 46 percent in the span of one month. The results were achieved without any effect on the total cholesterol levels of the mice.
"They were far less affected by plaques in their blood vessels than a control group who did not receive any cyclodextrin," said Dr. Sebastian Zimmer from University Hospital Bonn's Department of Medicine II.
The researchers tried to grow biopsies of atherosclerotic plaque in human carotid arteries in a petri dish. The experiment yielded the same results.
Findings showed that targeting these cholesterol crystals can help in the treatment of atherosclerosis. This suggested that using cyclodextrin as a dissolving agent can help in the disease treatment.
Accidental Discovery
The accidental discovery was triggered when a couple was looking for treatment for their twin daughters who had Niemann-Pick type C disease. Patients with this condition suffer from cholesterol accumulation in the body.
With no medical training, the couple contacted the German researchers and suggested the solution they found after analyzing several medical literature. With colleagues from various international institutions, Eicke Latz from the University of Bonn followed through with the parents' hypothesis and found amazing results.
The research was published in the Science Translational Medicine journal on April 6.
