Chemotherapy of atherosclerosis

Clinical and experimental studies have provided an increasing amount of evidence that atherosclerosis is preventable and that regression is feasible. Although the elimination of risk factors would be a form of primary prevention such is hardly feasible in our modern industrial age. Thus the combination of elimination or at least decrease in risk factors and a direct treatment of the arterial wall should help to bring about this prevention and regression. Metabolic changes and/or dysfunction of the vessel wall particularly endothelial cells has been given increasing attention. Energy and cyclic nucleotide metabolism in endothelial cells have been studied in the initiation, progression and regression of atherosclerosis. Several compounds were found to exert beneficial effects on metabolism in the endothelial cells and clinical favorable effects have been documented. Chemotherapy for the treatment of "endotheliopathy" and atherosclerosis will not doubt be the object of intensive studies.