Company IDs Protein for Absorbing Cholesterol
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From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Schering-Plough Corp. researchers say they have figured out how to prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol in the gut, a discovery that may lead to new cholesterol-lowering drugs. They reported in the Feb. 19 issue of Science that the cholesterol-lowering drug Zetia works by blocking a protein called NPC1L1.
They genetically engineered mice to lack this protein and found that they absorbed 70% less cholesterol from their diets than did normal mice. When these genetically engineered mice were given Zetia, they did not absorb any less cholesterol, which suggests the drug works by blocking NPC1L1.
