Anti-acne remedy proves its vascular efficacy

According to The Daily Mail, this remedy prevents heart attacks and strokes by maintaining the elasticity of blood vessels. It is about reducing the risk of atherosclerosis caused by calcium precipitations, which reduce the lumen of blood vessels and make their wall more rigid.

Minocycline (an antibiotic prescribed for acne) inhibits the way by which calcium accumulates. Minocycline proved his effectiveness against atherosclerosis in rodent trials. The study of atherosclerosis involved the scientists of the University of Cambridge and King's College London.

Earlier it was found that PARP enzyme is associated with DNA repair in cells. But this enzyme playing an important role in maintaining bone hardness, can work outside cells. This fact led the scientists to the idea of a possible connection between the enzyme and the biomineralization of blood vessels. In the last study, the scientists have found that PARP enzymes are attached to calcium ions and contribute to the formation of larger elements from them. Inside the vascular walls such elements bind with substances, as a result the walls become elastic.

As a result, calcium elements are converted into solid crystals, which reduce the vascular wall elasticity. The scientists have identified six molecules that can inhibit the activity of PARP enzymes. The well-known remedy minocycline was among them. It was successfully tested on rodents with chronic heart disease associated with atherosclerosis. The trials have shown that the vessels of the animals remained elastic.

Source: The Daily Mail