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conferenceseries
.com
June 26-27, 2017 San Diego, USA
13
th
International conference on
Pathology and Molecular Diagnosis
Volume 7, Issue 2 (Suppl)
J Clin Exp Pathol, an open access journal
ISSN:2161-0681
Pathology and Molecular Diagnosis 2017
June 26-27, 2017
Nutraceuticals as promising agents in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis
Dipak P Ramji, Thomas S Davies, Hayley Gallagher, Joe W E Moss, Jessica Williams, Wijdan Al-Ahmadi
and
Victoria O’Morain
Cardiff University, UK
A
therosclerosis, an inflammatory disorder of medium and large arteries and the underlying cause of myocardial infarction
and cerebrovascular accident, is responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other disease. Pharmaceutical
intervention together with lifestyle changes have recently resulted in a slight reduction in morbidity and mortality from
atherosclerosis and its complications, at least in the western world. However, this is expected to change in the future, because
of global increase in risk factors such as obesity and diabetes. Current pharmaceutical therapies against atherosclerosis such as
statins are not fully effective and associated with several side effects together with patient-dependent efficacy. Unfortunately,
many pharmaceutical leads against established targets have proved disappointing at the clinical level (e.g. inhibitors against
cholesterol ester transfer protein). It is therefore essential that further research is carried out into alternative therapies for the
prevention and/or treatment of atherosclerosis. Nutraceuticals have recently received substantial interest for the prevention/
treatment of atherosclerosis. However, more in-depth understanding is required on the molecular mechanisms underlying
the actions of nutraceuticals together with large clinical trials testing their efficacy. We have recently initiated studies on the
effects of many nutraceuticals, including certain omega-6-fatty acids, polyphenols and flavanols, on several key monocyte/
macrophage processes associated with atherosclerosis
in vitro
(e.g. monocytic migration, macrophage polarization, foam cell
formation, activation of inflammasome and production of reactive oxygen species) and various risk factors
in vivo
. These will
be presented in the context of current therapies and those that are being developed.
Biography
Dipak P Ramji received his BSc (Hons) degree (Biochemistry) and his PhD from University of Leeds. This was followed by Post-doctoral research at the EMBL
(Heidelberg) and IRBM (Rome) with fellowships from the Royal Society and the EU. He joined Cardiff University in 1992 and is currently a Reader at Cardiff School
of Biosciences. His research is focused on understanding how the immune and inflammatory responses regulate macrophage processes in atherosclerosis with
the goal of attaining deeper mechanistic insight and identifying preventative/therapeutic agents. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers, reviews and book
chapters (h-index=30; i10-index =57). He is an Editorial Board Member of 16 international journals.
Ramji@cardiff.ac.ukDipak P Ramji et al., J Clin Exp Pathol 2017, 7:2 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0681-C1-034