How can high-throughput screening deliver drugs to treat atherosclerosis?

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD

Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease that is characterized by the accumulation of lipid-rich plaques within the artery walls. Despite the past 3 decades witnessing the most significant advances in the pharmacotherapy of atherosclerosis with statins, atherosclerosis is still one of the leading causes of mortality in industrialized and developing nations. The applications of high-throughput screening (HTS) have retrieved hits and lead compounds which may be further developed to new promising therapeutics to achieve more effective reductions in the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW

The review provides a summary of potential drug targets other than HMG-CoA reductase (primary target of statins) and their application in biochemical or cell-based HTS assays used by pharmaceutical companies and academic laboratories for anti-atherosclerotic drug discovery.

WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN

The reader will gain an overview of the HTS strategies currently used in the development of anti-atherosclerotic agents. The reader is also provided with some abortive examples in anti-atherosclerotic drug discovery as well as the associated limitations and challenges of the process that HTS delivers new drugs to treat atherosclerosis.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

HTS can assist in the efficient discovery of new drugs towards the potential targets involved in the progress of atherosclerosis.