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Ezetimibe – new anti‐atherogenic properties?
Author(s) -
Tomkin Gerald H
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2008.00090.x
Subject(s) - ezetimibe , simvastatin , pharmacology , cholesterol , arteriosclerosis , drug , chemistry , medicine , endocrinology
Ezetimibe, a Niemann Pick C1‐like1 inhibitor, inhibits cholesterol absorption. The drug has been shown to affect lipid raft function in monocytes and therefore may inhibit lipid accumulation in the atheromatous plaque with a mechanism that is unrelated to its effect in reducing cholesterol absorption. In this issue of the British journal of pharmacology , Gómez‐Garre et al. demonstrate that ezetimibe and simvastatin both have a beneficial effect on the atheromatous plaque, which may be due to their effect on both monocyte/macrophage function and reduction in nuclear factor‐κB activity. Whether these results in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis can be translated into human atherosclerosis awaits further studies.