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【medical-news】揭开高胆固醇患者猝死之谜
Together with a group from Paris, France, UBC researchers David Fedida and Jodene Eldstrom found that too much cholesterol can affect the electrical currents, perhaps causing the heart to start beating out of rhythm or even stop beating. In contrast, reducing the cholesterol normalized the structures underlying the electrical activity, thus promoting a regular and healthy heartbeat.
The researchers discovered that the key mechanism by which this happens is the Kv1.5 potassium channel, a protein that facilitates the flow of electrical charges through heart cells. Cholesterol blocks the functioning of these proteins while lowering of cholesterol levels enhances their function.
Prior to this research, scientists already knew that cholesterol plays an important role in regulating the heart's electrical system. However, they didn't know how.
"There is recent clinical and experimental evidence that lipid-lowering therapy, such as statins, can restore normal heart rhythms, thus helping to prevent sudden death," Dr. David Fedida said. "However, these pharmacological effects of statins are poorly understood and could involve other effects than their well-understood reduction of the cholesterol in blood vessels. Here we show that cholesterol regulates the submembrane pool of ion channels readily available for recruitment into the surface membranes of heart cells. This process could be a major mechanism for the tuning of the heartbeat and might contribute to the reduction in the incidence of abnormal and fatal heart rhythms during treatment with lipid-lowering drugs."
"Arrhythmias are a serious problem," said Dr. Jeff Sommers, Manager, Research and Science, Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon. "Although they affect people of all ages, this is especially so with an aging population. This is a really exciting development that moves us well along the road of understanding how to target heart rhythm disorders for prevention and treatment."
This discovery points toward a new path for developing therapies that can directly target the causes of arrhythmia both before and after they start. Presently, anti-arrhythmic drugs are non-specific and may have significant side-effects. About 40% of Canadians have high blood cholesterol.
This research is published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As well, the researchers will present their findings next week at a plenary session of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona.
http://www.scien5.com/?action-viewnews-itemid-3221 认领翻译 Cholesterol can affect the flow of the electrical currents that generate the heart beat, according to a study by two UBC cardiovascular researchers funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon. The research team has just published the important discovery about the causes of cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
美国两位心血管方面专家研究发现，胆固醇可以影响产生心跳的电解质的流动。研究小组日前在国家科学学院院刊上发表这项导致心律失常的重要原因的文章。
Together with a group from Paris, France, UBC researchers David Fedida and Jodene Eldstrom found that too much cholesterol can affect the electrical currents, perhaps causing the heart to start beating out of rhythm or even stop beating. In contrast, reducing the cholesterol normalized the structures underlying the electrical activity, thus promoting a regular and healthy heartbeat.
他们与法国巴黎哥伦比亚大学的David Fedida 及Jodene Eldstrom研究小组一道共同发现过多的胆固醇可以影响电流，或许是导致心脏出现心律失常以及心跳停止的原因。相反的，降低胆固醇胆固醇在组织中潜在电活性，可以使心跳正常健康。
The researchers discovered that the key mechanism by which this happens is the Kv1.5 potassium channel, a protein that facilitates the flow of electrical charges through heart cells. Cholesterol blocks the functioning of these proteins while lowering of cholesterol levels enhances their function.
研究人员发现此项机制的关键在于1.5Kv钾离子通道，钾离子通道是控制电解质进出心肌细胞的关键。胆固醇可以阻断此蛋白质的功能，降低胆固醇水平可以提高其活性。
Prior to this research, scientists already knew that cholesterol plays an important role in regulating the heart's electrical system. However, they didn't know how.
先前的研究中，研究人员已经知道了胆固醇在心脏电解质系统中具有重要的调节作用。但是对其机制不很清楚。
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2010-10-29 17:11
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