New Nanoparticle Study Could Eventually Help Reduce Recurrent Heart Attacks

This week, researchers announced that they've potentially found a way to use nanoparticles to help decrease the risk of a second heart attack or stroke. By creating a synthetic version of a high-density lipoprotein, researchers are able to use nanoparticles as a vehicle to transport molecules that would normally be harder to move inside the body.  

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published a study in the journal Nature Communications that shows that an HDL nanoparticle loaded with cholesterol-lowering statins could target and reduce inflammation in blood vessels. Often, after a heart attack, such levels have been known to cause a second heart attack or stroke due to a ruptured clot. The nanoparticle the team used resembles the "good" HDL cholesterol particle and binds to the same receptors as the natural version to deliver the statin drug, according to a report from Mount Sinai. Oral statins work through the liver to reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and have a small effect on inflammatory cells in the arteries.

This study helped decrease inflammation when tested on mice, something that has always been a big risk factor after a heart attack. How could this new method help to advance other types of cardiovascular treatment? 

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