oxysterols

Ingemar Bj ö rkhem , professor emeritus at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and a leading authority on oxysterols, says he will be analyzing the levels of certain oxysterols in blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples taken before and after cyclodextrin treatments of twin girls with NPC.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

There is still a long way to go before scientists fully understand the role of oxysterols and whether they directly contribute to disease.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

Abnormal levels of certain oxysterols have been found in the blood of patients with cardiovascular diseases and multiple sclerosis.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

Scientists say that someone ' s level of oxysterols is independent of cholesterol levels; someone with high cholesterol can have normal oxysterol levels and someone with normal cholesterol may have abnormal oxysterol levels.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

In the recent NPC study, researchers also reported that an experimental drug called cyclodextrin lowered the levels of oxysterols in cats with the disease.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

Dr. Schipper says his lab is developing drugs to inhibit a particular enzyme, which in turn will lower the level of harmful oxysterols.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

But some people have abnormal levels of oxysterols.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

Eventually, the liver turns oxysterols into bile acids and gets rid of them.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

In the case of NPC, he said that although it is not known how cyclodextrin is working, it may lower oxysterols by reducing the accumulation of cholesterol in the cells.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010

Some oxysterols are believed to be toxic to brain neurons and contribute to decline in Alzheimer ' s disease.

Decoding a New Disease Culprit Amy Dockser Marcus 2010