{"id":26621,"date":"2025-07-01T18:04:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T18:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=26621"},"modified":"2025-07-01T18:04:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T18:04:50","slug":"breakthrough-discovery-off-switch-enzyme-that-could-stop-heart-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/breakthrough-discovery-off-switch-enzyme-that-could-stop-heart-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Breakthrough Discovery: &#8216;Off Switch&#8217; Enzyme That Could Stop Heart Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">UT Arlington researchers have identified an enzyme, IDO1, that can be &#8220;turned off&#8221; to help the body maintain healthy cholesterol levels. This breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for various inflammation-related diseases.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A team of scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington has made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform the way we manage cholesterol levels and treat a host of serious illnesses. The researchers have identified an enzyme called IDO1 that, when blocked, helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and controls inflammation, a finding that has significant potential for developing new treatments for diseases affecting millions of Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe found that by blocking the enzyme IDO1, we are able to control the inflammation in immune cells called macrophages,\u201d lead author Subhrangsu S. Mandal, a professor of chemistry at UT Arlington, said in a news release. \u201cInflammation is linked to so many conditions \u2014 everything from heart disease to cancer to diabetes to dementia. By better understanding IDO1 and how to block it, we have the potential to better control inflammation and restore proper cholesterol processing, stopping many of these diseases in their tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inflammation is a double-edged sword for the immune system, essential for fighting infections and healing injuries, but potentially harmful when it becomes chronic or abnormal due to stress, injury or infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During these dysfunctional periods, macrophages \u2014 critical immune cells that absorb cholesterol \u2014 fail to process cholesterol properly, leading to a range of chronic diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research team discovered that the enzyme IDO1 is activated during inflammation, producing a substance called kynurenine. This substance hampers macrophages&#8217; ability to process cholesterol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, when IDO1 is inhibited, macrophages regain their cholesterol-processing capabilities. This pivotal discovery points to a new strategy for preventing heart disease by keeping cholesterol levels under control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, the study found that another enzyme, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), exacerbates IDO1\u2019s detrimental effects. Therefore, targeting NOS might also offer therapeutic benefits for managing cholesterol issues related to inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese findings are important because we know too much cholesterol buildup in macrophages can lead to clogged arteries, heart disease and a host of other illnesses,\u201d Mandal added. \u201cUnderstanding how to prevent the inflammation affecting cholesterol regulation could lead to new treatments for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer and others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team\u2019s research, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acs.langmuir.4c03005\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in ACS Publications, represents a significant step toward more effective treatments for inflammation-related diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next, the researchers aim to delve deeper into the relationship between IDO1 and cholesterol regulation and explore the roles of other enzymes in the process. If a safe method of blocking IDO1 is developed, it could pave the way for innovative drugs to combat a variety of inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:8px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uta.edu\/news\/news-releases\/2025\/06\/26\/can-enzyme-behind-high-cholesterol-be-turned-off\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">The University of Texas at Arlington<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A team of scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington has made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform the way we manage cholesterol levels and treat a host of serious illnesses. The researchers have identified an enzyme called IDO1 that, when blocked, helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and controls inflammation, a finding that has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[82],"class_list":["post-26621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-ut-arlington"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A team of scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington has made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform the way we manage cholesterol levels and treat a host of serious illnesses. The researchers have identified an enzyme called IDO1 that, when blocked, helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and controls inflammation, a finding that has&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26621"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26649,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26621\/revisions\/26649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}