Drug might be useful in treating heart disease

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By Dr. Paul KrawitzMay 8, 2016

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[caption id="attachment_5454" align="alignleft" width="150"] Cholesterol plaque in artery[/caption] Researchers working to treat a rare genetic condition may have stumbled upon a new drug therapy for heart disease as well. Cyclodextrin has been used for years to help dissolve and deliver certain drugs and has been considered an inactive drug but researchers recently looked to it to help treat a rare, fatal disorder. In an effort to find new treatments for the rare genetic disorder known as Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC), researchers began testing cyclodextrin in children with NPC. A parent of one of the children taking the drug read that cholesterol crystals play a role in heart disease and the parent asked the research author if cyclodextrin might be effective in dissolving the crystals. So a new study was commissioned to determine if cyclodextin would be effective in dissolving the cholesterol crystals. Using lab mice, researchers found that cyclodextrin successfully dissolved the cholesterol crystals even when the mice had a high-cholesterol diet. Much more testing is needed but the researchers find the initial results to be promising.

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