他汀类药物可以刺激血管生长
http://www.100md.com
2000年8月30日
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Study after study has shown that cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins can reduce the risk of heart disease in people with high cholesterol, and the drugs also seem to prevent a second heart attack in people with normal cholesterol who have had a heart attack.
Now, new research indicates that besides lowering levels of harmful cholesterol, the drugs may also promote the growth of new blood vessels.
, http://www.100md.com The findings, published in the September issue of Nature Medicine, suggest that statin therapy may prevent heart attacks and other forms of heart disease in people with normal cholesterol levels who have diseased blood vessels.
Based on tests carried out in human cell samples and in rabbits, the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin seems to activate a pathway through which cells communicate, according to Dr. Kenneth Walsh, of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts.
, 百拇医药
The researchers suspect that the drug interacts with a molecule called protein kinase Akt/PKB, which helps make sure that blood vessels develop properly.
In the experiments, simvastatin produced similar effects on the growth of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis, as does vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a substance essential for healthy blood vessels, according to Walsh.
``The same pathway is being activated by statins as VEGF,'' he said. Recent research has focused on using VEGF to restore blood flow in people with blocked heart arteries.
, http://www.100md.com
Even in people with high cholesterol, statins provide more benefits to the heart than can be explained by their cholesterol-lowering effects, Walsh pointed out.
He and his colleagues conclude that the action of statins on Akt/PKB may account for some of these added benefits. Clinical trials of statins may show that the drugs can help prevent heart disease in people with ailing heart vessels who have normal cholesterol levels, Walsh said.
, 百拇医药
Even though the investigators suspect that statins target the same pathway as VEGF, they are not sure exactly how, Walsh noted. He and his colleagues plan to continue studying the process to see whether other drugs can be developed to encourage blood vessel growth without affecting cholesterol levels.
But if statins do promote angiogenesis, the effects may not always be helpful, Dr. Michael Simons, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston points out in an editorial that accompanies the study.
, http://www.100md.com
For example, statins might increase the growth of blood vessels in cancerous tumors, Simons notes. However, even though statins are some of the most widely used prescription drugs, these and other potential harmful effects have not been reported, which calls into question their vessel-promoting abilities, Simons adds.
Still, a combination of a statin and another vessel-promoting drug may prove effective in people with blocked arteries, the editorialist writes.
SOURCE: Nature Medicine 2000;6:965-966, 1004-1010., http://www.100md.com
Now, new research indicates that besides lowering levels of harmful cholesterol, the drugs may also promote the growth of new blood vessels.
, http://www.100md.com The findings, published in the September issue of Nature Medicine, suggest that statin therapy may prevent heart attacks and other forms of heart disease in people with normal cholesterol levels who have diseased blood vessels.
Based on tests carried out in human cell samples and in rabbits, the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin seems to activate a pathway through which cells communicate, according to Dr. Kenneth Walsh, of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts.
, 百拇医药
The researchers suspect that the drug interacts with a molecule called protein kinase Akt/PKB, which helps make sure that blood vessels develop properly.
In the experiments, simvastatin produced similar effects on the growth of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis, as does vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a substance essential for healthy blood vessels, according to Walsh.
``The same pathway is being activated by statins as VEGF,'' he said. Recent research has focused on using VEGF to restore blood flow in people with blocked heart arteries.
, http://www.100md.com
Even in people with high cholesterol, statins provide more benefits to the heart than can be explained by their cholesterol-lowering effects, Walsh pointed out.
He and his colleagues conclude that the action of statins on Akt/PKB may account for some of these added benefits. Clinical trials of statins may show that the drugs can help prevent heart disease in people with ailing heart vessels who have normal cholesterol levels, Walsh said.
, 百拇医药
Even though the investigators suspect that statins target the same pathway as VEGF, they are not sure exactly how, Walsh noted. He and his colleagues plan to continue studying the process to see whether other drugs can be developed to encourage blood vessel growth without affecting cholesterol levels.
But if statins do promote angiogenesis, the effects may not always be helpful, Dr. Michael Simons, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston points out in an editorial that accompanies the study.
, http://www.100md.com
For example, statins might increase the growth of blood vessels in cancerous tumors, Simons notes. However, even though statins are some of the most widely used prescription drugs, these and other potential harmful effects have not been reported, which calls into question their vessel-promoting abilities, Simons adds.
Still, a combination of a statin and another vessel-promoting drug may prove effective in people with blocked arteries, the editorialist writes.
SOURCE: Nature Medicine 2000;6:965-966, 1004-1010., http://www.100md.com