Current Drug Targets - Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders - Volume 5, Issue 2, 2005

L-Mevalonic acid is the distant precursor of cholesterol, in contrast to cholesterol, L -mevalonic acid, its distant precursor gives rise to farnesyl and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphates in relatively few metabolic steps. These isoprenyl pyrophophates covalently conjugate with specific G-proteins and serve as membrane anchors enabling them to carry out their function. Although farnesyl-proteins may participate in signal transduction, Read More

Hydroxymethyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) offer important benefits for the large populations of individuals at high risk for coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease. the overall clinical benefits observed with statin therapy appear to be greater than what might be expected from changes in lipid profile alone, suggesting that the beneficial effects of such drugs may extend beyond their effects on ser Read More

Atherosclerosis and its complications still represent the major cause of death in developed countries. Statins have revolutionized the treatment of dyslipidemia and demonstrated their ability to reduce and prevent coronary morbidity and mortality. Statins inhibit 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, an enzyme crucial to cholesterol synthesis. The effectiveness and rapidity of statin-induced decrease Read More

Growing evidence suggests that statins are more than simple lipid-lowering drugs. The so called pleiotropic effects of statins include multiple actions on cells of the vasculature. A large number of studies have confirmed that these compounds exert beneficial effects by mechanisms unrelated to cholesterol metabolism. For example, statins have been shown to inhibit the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth Read More

Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (statins), the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate biosynthetic pathway, are currently the leading prescription drugs worldwide. Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is a powerful physiological regulator of cellular development, function and dynamics. Statins are known to induce cellular apoptosis in vitro; however, the clinical relevance of this action remains controversial Read More

Statins have emerged as a highly efficacious class of drugs in the prevention of cardiovascular events. The primary mechanism of its cardioprotective effect is likely through its effectiveness in lowering serum lipids, particularly the low density lipoprotein (LDL) fractions. Recent studies suggest that statins also confer direct beneficial effects on the vascular cells in the attenuation of the atherogenic process throu Read More

The dried roots of Scutellaria baicalensis (S. baicalensis) Georgi (common name: Huangqin in China) have been widely employed for many centuries in traditional Chinese herbal medicine as popular antibacterial and antiviral agents. They are effective against staphylococci, cholera, dysentery, pneumococci and influenza virus. Baicalein, one of the major flavonoids contained in the dried roots, possesses a multitude o Read More

Sexual dysfunction is a frequent complication of treated and untreated cardiovascular disease. In fact, ∼30% of hypertensives have been found to suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) resulting from arterial dysfunction. Recent evidence has suggested that ED may be an early indicator of subclinical cardiovascular disease. In women, the evidence is similar, but more limited, showing that in hypertensive patients there is an Read More