A particular type of protein could avoid the risk of a heart attack caused by the thickening of the coronary arteries preventing the formation of those plaques, typical of cholesterol, which obstruct the flow of blood to the heart. Scholars already define it as a “revolutionary” system and will soon be tested on at least 20,000 volunteers in over a thousand centers worldwide participating in the Harvard Medical School project in Boston, United States.
The “scavenger” protein
But what is the principle behind prevention? Everything is based on the action of apolipoprotein apoA-I, which usually plays a very specific role in the metabolism of lipids (fats): its action would be similar to that of a “sponge” which eliminates all the fats it comes into contact with, thus avoiding the obstruction of blood vessels. In Italy, the Irccs MultiMedica of Sesto San Giovanni is also at the forefront, which will test the protein on patients suffering from myocardial infarction and other serious coronary diseases. “Specifically, the primary objective of the work is to observe whether this treatment is able to reduce the risk of further cardiovascular events in the first 90 days after the heart attack, the period of greatest vulnerability. – affirms toAnsa Roberto Pedretti director of the Cardiovascular Department of the IRCCS, which began research on the first person.
“Very good condition”
Statistics show that every year more or less 130 thousand patients are victims of a heart attack in our country, 20% of whom suffer a second one within a year of the first. The first patient tested by prof. Pedretti “she was discharged and returned home in excellent condition. – said the head physician – She had been hospitalized for a heart attack and, in addition to all the usual care, she was the first patient to enter this study on apolipoprotein apoA-I, whose protocol provides for four intravenous infusions over a few weeks and a follow-up of one year “. The patient will now be monitored by the center to see how progress will continue over the months. The same treatment will be applied to patients with similar problems.
The role of lipids
But what is the role of the lipids? These substances do not dissolve easily but circulate in the blood “because they are incorporated into particular proteins called lipoproteins “, explained to the press agency prof. Giuseppe Ambrosio, main author of the study for Italy and deputy scientific director of Irccs MultiMedica. The new approach allows apolipoprotein A1 to draw excess cholesterol towards itself by “detaching” it from the plaques of the arteries just like a sponge. If it is true that the drugs currently on the market have another principle, that of reducing and preventing the formation of coltesterol, “this therapy has a more ambitious and never achieved before goal: to attack plaques already present in the arteries“. This is the first approach ever: the researchers hope for excellent results as the first defined preliminary tests already lead us to believe.”very encouraging“.
Experts believe that “HDL lipoproteins” play a key role in removing excess cholesterol: the function would be “mediated by apolipoprotein A1 through the interaction with specific receptors“, explained Prof. Alberico Catapano, director of the Irccs MultiMedica Dyslipidemia Center and full professor of pharmacology at the University of Milan. The study will serve to confirm the hypothesis that reducing early cholesterol in these plaques is consequently reduced , the frequency of heart attacks. “If a similar goal is reached, it will allow us to set a milestone in the field of ‘HDL pharmacology’, which has remained uncertain until now.“, conclude.