Therapeutic strategies for coronary artery disease beyond low density lipoprotein (LDL) - Lowering

Coronary artery disease (CAD) ranks as the leading cause of death in the we stern world. The most widely used therapeutics utilized for the treatment o f CAD are the lipid-lowering drugs, which lower plasma cholesterol. However lowering cholesterol alone may not be sufficient to provide benefit to all patient populations at risk for CAD. This creates an unmet medical need. E merging knowledge of the genesis, progression and regression of atheroscler osis, that leads to CAD permits evaluation of other therapeutic strategies. This review will evaluate two such naturally occurring paradigms, the nitri c oxide pathway and the high-density lipoprotein system which are nature's defense mechanisms against atherosclerosis and may lead to next generation therapeutics against CAD.