Can cholesterol-lowering drugs help treat acute Ebola cases?
Friday, July 17, 2015 - 22:20
in Health & Medicine
In the course of basic research in membrane biochemistry scientists have gained new insight into the cytotoxic effect of the Ebola virus. Employing biochemical and cell biological methods they have shed light on the molecular relationships between the Ebola glycoprotein and its role in mediating cytotoxicity. Researchers discovered that the virus glycoprotein interacts with cellular cholesterol, thus prompting the use of certain cholesterol-lowering agents in their investigations. The researchers report they succeeded in suppressing cellular damage in cell cultures.