Detection and treatment of atherosclerosis based on plasma sphingomyelin concentration

摘要

Disclosed are new enzymatic methods of plasma and tissue sphingomyelin concentration measurement. Also disclosed is that human plasma sphingomyelin levels are strongly positively correlated with atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Thus, the use of a quick and effective plasma sphingomyelin measurement such as the subject invention, is valuable for screening assays in vitro, in cell culture or in animals to develop drugs or other treatments aimed to lower plasma sphingomyelin levels. The findings indicate that therapies aimed at reducing plasma or tissue SM levels are likely to have therapeutic benefit. These would include inhibition of sphingomyelin synthesis in the liver or arterial wall, as well as methods to enhance clearance of sphingomyelin from plasma. Thus, compounds which inhibit sphingomyelin biosynthesis or induce sphingomyelin clearance are also disclosed.