Skip to main content
Official government website of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
How to verify
Links to official Saudi websites end withedu.sa

All links to official websites of government agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia end withsch.sa أو edu.sa

Government websites use the HTTPS protocol for encryption and security.

Secure websites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia use the HTTPS protocol for encryption.

Previous version of the website
35.4
Jeddah
Sunny
C 35.1
C 29.5
Khlis
Sunny
C 40.9
C 27.7
Al Kamil
Sunny
C 41.3
C 25.8
13 March 2014

PCSK9: a key modulator of cardiovascular health

Since the discovery of proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) in 2003, this PC has attracted a lot of attention from the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies. Secreted into the plasma by the liver, the proteinase K–like serine protease PCSK9 binds the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor at the surface of hepatocytes, thereby preventing its recycling and enhancing its degradation in endosomes/lysosomes, resulting in reduced LDL-cholesterol clearance. Surprisingly, in a nonenzymatic fashion, PCSK9 enhances the intracellular degradation of all its target proteins. Rare gain-of-function PCSK9 variants lead to higher levels of LDL-cholesterol and increased risk of cardiovascular disease; more common loss-of-function PCSK9 variants are associated with reductions in both LDL-cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease. It took 9 years to elaborate powerful new PCSK9-based therapeutic approaches to reduce circulating levels of LDL-cholesterol. Presently, PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies that inhibit its function on the LDL receptor are evaluated in phase III clinical trials. This review will address the biochemical, genetic, and clinical aspects associated with PCSK9’s biology and pathophysiology in cells, rodent and human, with emphasis on the clinical benefits of silencing the expression/activity of PCSK9 as a new modality in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and associated pathologies. المزيد