Gut bacteria can break down artery-clogging cholesterol

Gut bacteria can break down artery-clogging cholesterol

Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here. A new drug consists of pieces of mRNA encased in a fatty envelope (artist’s impression).Credit: Kateryna Kon/SPL A therapy that extends mRNA technology beyond vaccines has shown early success in treating a rare genetic disease, propionic … Read more

Gut bacteria break down cholesterol — hinting at probiotic treatments

Gut bacteria break down cholesterol — hinting at probiotic treatments

Scientists have pinpointed human gut bacteria that have a useful tool: an enzyme that can convert artery-clogging cholesterol into a more harmless form that is not absorbed by the body. The finding points towards possible treatments for high cholesterol levels. Although the newly described bacterial species can metabolize cholesterol in the laboratory, whether they can … Read more