Discovered negative effect of inflammation on the metabolism of colesterolInvestigadores Seville University study how inflammation affects the joint between cholesterol oxides, cholesterol derivatives with nuclear receptors LXR–whose results may help design new drugs and treatments to control their negative effects.
This is a basic research conducted by the Research Group Immune System Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine of Seville, led by Professor Francisco Sobrino.
Its purpose is focused on clarifying the biochemical and genetic bases of cholesterol metabolism and their involvement in inflammation, a condition that is associated with diseases such as atherosclerosis and diabetes.
Sobrino has explained that despite being “some studies conducted so far with human cells, in the long term may be a major step forward to regulate cholesterol levels between people and work to reduce the number of obese patients.”
Cholesterol is converted into numerous derivatives, which belong cholesterol oxides, they bind to receptors located in the nucleus of cells, LXR-and activated, and this combination of both regulates the transcription of certain genes involved in the synthesis of anti-inflammatory proteins.
The study of these researchers demonstrated that the inflammatory state inhibits the activation of the LXR receptor, is left to activate the synthesis of inflammatory proteins and consequently, further aggravates the inflammation, producing less defense proteins.
This finding also shows a drawback; since the activation of LXR also stimulates the synthesis of lipid-mentioned Sobrino-hence many experts seek structural analogues of cholesterol oxides that have positive aspects.