Toulouse researchers suggest better dosing of the “good” cholesterol. Certain particles of HDL-cholesterol could have a protective cardiovascular effect. They could also play an anti-inflammatory role in Covid-19 infections.
In cholesterol, between the “good” (HDL) and the “bad” (LDL) your heart swings. Thus, when the LDL level is too high, the risk of cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction, stroke, arteritis of the lower limbs) increases. But for the “good” cholesterol, everything is not settled. Would a large dose of HDL be protective?
If the hypothesis has been studied for several decades, recent work has shown that a high level of HDL-cholesterol was not necessarily beneficial in patients for whom heart disease had already caused a significant inflammatory reaction which removed HDL particles their beneficial properties. Knowing the dose of HDL is therefore not enough; we must analyze its anti-inflammatory proteins and their functionality.
A protective particle
Toulouse researchers have worked on the subject. The team of Laurent Martinez, Inserm research director at the Institute of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases (I2MC) and that of Pr Jean Ferrières, cardiologist at the Toulouse University Hospital, Inserm researcher in unit 1027 of epidemiology and analyzes in public health propose to better dose the “good” cholesterol using the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The results have just been published in the journal Scientific Reports, the journal of the Nature group.
The study shows, on 214 patients aged 45 to 74 years, suffering from coronary artery disease and followed for 12 years, that a high number of HDL particles, called HDL-P, is an indicator of better survival at long term, regardless of the cholesterol level transported by these particles. “Dosing these particles allows you to enter into the intimacy of the mechanism of good cholesterol. What matters is not necessarily the total dosage of HDL-cholesterol but the good functionality of the HDL-P particles which capture cholesterol to lead it into the liver where it will be eliminated. It’s one more tool to assess risks scientifically. », Underlines Professor Jean Ferrières. “Just by measuring the number of HDL-P particles, you get a better indicator of protection against the risk of another coronary event. It is then possible to identify the patients most at risk and to adapt the therapy, “adds Laurent Martinez, lead author and coordinator of the study.
A study for Covid-19 patients
Could the cholesterol particles called HDL-P play a protective role in infections like SARS-CoV2? The Toulouse researchers want to extend their study on the determination of these particles by crossing their data with that of patients hospitalized during the coronavirus epidemic. “Since HDL-P has anti-inflammatory properties, we could explore the relationship between low HDL-P levels and the possible development of the more serious forms of Covid-19”, explain Laurent Martinez and Professor Bertrand Perret. “The particles of HDL-cholesterol are very complex and their protective action does not stop at their capacity to eliminate the cholesterol which they capture. They also have anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious properties. Doctors in the intensive care units note that patients with the most fragile prognosis have collapsed HDL-cholesterol levels, ”says Professor Jean Ferrières.
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