Cholesterol Drug Blocks Inflammation and Thrombosis in Placenta
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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Drugs normally prescribed to prevent cardiovascular disease may also prevent miscarriages, according to Weill Cornell scientists. Researchers found that spontaneous miscarriages were prevented in mice after giving them a common statin drug, called pravastatin (Pravachol).
The research team, led by Dr. Guillermina Girardi, assistant professor of pharmacology in medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, studied a mouse model that mirrors recurrent spontaneous miscarriages and found that these mice had high levels of tissue factor (TF), a protein that promotes inflammation and clotting. Statin drugs are used to prevent clotting and inflammation within the cardiovascular system, so the scientists hypothesized that they may also help to prevent miscarriages.
Dr. Girardi found that pravastatin diminishes TF levels, and therefore prevents thrombosis and restores placental blood flow. Further clinical studies are under way to determine if the same strategy is effective in women. This study was recently published in the journal BLOOD, a publication of the American Society of Hematology.
For more information, visit www.nyp.org and www.med.cornell.edu.
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