Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

ML-236B, a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, significantly reduced both serum cholesterol and phospholipid levels in dogs, when used at a dosage higher than 10 mg/kg per day. Triglyceride levels were not consistently changed, but beta- and pre-beta-lipoproteins were preferentially reduced. Serum cholesterol levels were reduced by 44--45% at the higher dosage of 100--400 mg/kg per day (for 5 weeks) but ML-236B caused no significant changes in the cholesterol content of the liver and aorta and in the activities of serum GOT, GPT, CPK and lecithin : cholesterol acyltransferase. Fecal excretion of neutral sterols was unaffected but that of bile acids was markedly elevated by the drug. Under these conditions, hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in bile acid biosynthesis, showed no detectable changes.
Atherosclerosis 1979 Mar
PMID:Hypolipidemic effects in dogs of ML-236B, a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase. 22 90

Several investigators have reported that feeding a semi-synthetic diet of casein and dextrose to New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits will increase total serum cholesterol concentration, principally through an increase in the beta-lipoprotein fractions, thereby creating a useful model for atherosclerosis research. Although there is evidence to suggest that the dextrose/casein diet alters low-density lipoprotein receptor and bile acid clearance of cholesterol, the underlying mechanism is not completely understood. The effects of the diet on the overall physiology of the rabbit have received little attention. In this study feeding a diet of casein and dextrose of male NZW rabbits for 4 weeks resulted in changes in the serum lipid concentrations. During that time the rabbits fed the dextrose/casein diet gained less weight than did control rabbits. In the test diet rabbits, liver aspartate and alanine transaminase activities were increased from baseline values of 27 +/- 2 U/L and 89 +/- 9 U/L respectively to 112 +/- 21 U/L and 281 +/- 34 U/L respectively, then returned to the high end of the reference range. Necropsy findings included hepatomegaly caused by vacuolar hepatopathy in 19 or 20 experimental rabbits; rabbits fed the control diet had no hepatic lesions. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that enlargement of the liver cells was due to glycogen deposition. Adrenal glands from animals fed the experimental diet had a minimal change in the size of the adrenocortical cells consisting of slight ballooning and rarefaction of the cytoplasm. In a second study the level of dietary fiber was doubled. This resulted in a three-fold increase in lipid concentrations, compared with the fivefold increase in the first study. The liver enzyme activities were increased to the same extent as in the first study. Histologic changes were comparable to those in the first study. The activity of hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase was 3.7 +/- 0.4 pmol/min/mg of protein, compared with the control value of 7.7 +/- 1.1 pmol/min/mg of protein (P < 0.05) in the second study. The improved rate of weight gain and the lesser increase in total serum cholesterol concentration in the second study with increased dietary fiber suggest that two separate activities may be involved. Although the level of dietary fiber may be related to weight gain and total serum cholesterol values, the relation to the decrease in liver transaminase activities in study 1 was probably coincidental. It appears that the dextrose/casein diet causes decreased activity of hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, which could cause a decrease in the biliary excretion of cholesterol.
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PMID:Hepatic and adrenal changes in rabbits associated with hyperlipidemia caused by a semi-synthetic diet. 874 27

Sterol 27-hydroxylase is important for the degradation of the steroid side chain in conversion of cholesterol into bile acids and has been ascribed a regulatory role in cholesterol homeostasis. Its deficiency causes the autosomal recessive disease cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX), characterized by progressive dementia, xanthomatosis, and accelerated atherosclerosis. Mice with a disrupted cyp27 (cyp27(-/-)) had normal plasma levels of cholesterol, retinol, tocopherol, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. Excretion of fecal bile acids was decreased (<20% of normal), and formation of bile acids from tritium-labeled 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol was less than 15% of normal. Compensatory up-regulation of hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase and hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase (9- and 2-3-fold increases in mRNA levels, respectively) was found. No CTX-related pathological abnormalities were observed. In CTX, there is an increased formation of 25-hydroxylated bile alcohols and cholestanol. In bile and feces of the cyp27(-/-) mice only traces of bile alcohols were found, and there was no cholestanol accumulation. It is evident that sterol 27-hydroxylase is more important for bile acid synthesis in mice than in humans. The results do not support the contention that 27-hydroxylated steroids are critical for maintenance of cholesterol homeostasis or levels of vitamin D metabolites in the circulation.
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PMID:Markedly reduced bile acid synthesis but maintained levels of cholesterol and vitamin D metabolites in mice with disrupted sterol 27-hydroxylase gene. 961 81

The ileal Na+/bile acid cotransporter (IBAT) plays an important role in the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. We investigated the effects of IBAT inhibition on the maintenance of serum cholesterol level by using a novel IBAT inhibitor, S-8921, in rabbits. Administration of S-8921 by its incorporation into the diet (0.01% to 0.1%) for 1 to 2 weeks in heterozygous Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits decreased serum cholesterol by 29% to 37% and increased fecal excretion of measured bile acids by 60% to 180% compared with control rabbits. Liver microsomal cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activities were increased by 75% to 84% and 84% to 89%, respectively, with S-8921 treatment. S-8921 administration (0.1% in the diet) to normal New Zealand White rabbits for 2 weeks resulted in increased hepatic low density lipoprotein receptor expression, which was assessed by Northern blot analysis. In cholesterol-fed New Zealand White rabbits, S-8921 treatment (0.003% to 0.1% in the diet) for 10 weeks dose-dependently inhibited the development of hypercholesterolemia. It also inhibited the accumulation of cholesterol in the aortic arch and reduced the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. These results indicate that IBAT inhibition by S-8921 affects serum cholesterol, liver enzymes, low density lipoprotein receptor activity, and atherosclerosis in the same manner as bile acid sequestrants. We suggest that an IBAT inhibitor such as S-8921 could be useful in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.
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PMID:Inhibition of ileal Na+/bile acid cotransporter by S-8921 reduces serum cholesterol and prevents atherosclerosis in rabbits. 971 38

Pharmacological characterization of NTE-122 (trans-1,4-bis[[1-cyclohexyl-3-(4-dimethylamino phenyl)ureido]methyl]cyclohexane), a novel acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor, was performed with both in vitro and in vivo assay systems. NTE-122 inhibited microsomal ACAT activities of various tissues (liver of rabbit and rat, small intestine of rabbit and rat, and aorta of rabbit) and cultured cells (HepG2 and CaCo-2), with IC50 values from 1.2 to 9.6 nM. The inhibition mode of NTE-122 was competitive for HepG2 ACAT. NTE-122 had no effect on other lipid metabolizing enzymes, such as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, acyl-CoA synthetase, cholesterol esterase, lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase, acyl-CoA:sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase up to 10 microM. When NTE-122 was administered to the cholesterol diet-fed rats, serum and liver cholesterol levels were markedly reduced with an ED50 of 0.12 and 0.44 mg/kg/day, respectively. In the cholesterol diet-fed rabbits, NTE-122 significantly lowered plasma and liver cholesterol levels at more than 2 mg/kg/day. These results indicate that NTE-122 is a potent, selective and competitive inhibitor of ACAT, making it a worth while therapeutic agent for hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Cholesterol-lowering effects of NTE-122, a novel acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor, on cholesterol diet-fed rats and rabbits. 986 70

The effects of chronic treatment of taurine on hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis were examined in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet containing 15% fat and 1.25% cholesterol. Taurine was dissolved in drinking water at 1% (w/v) and was given to mice ad libitum during 6 months-feeding of a high-fat diet. Hypercholesterolemia occurred and lipid accumulation on the aortic valve was evident. Taurine treatment lowered serum LDL + VLDL cholesterol by 44% in mice fed a high-fat diet, while it elevated serum HDL cholesterol by 25%. As a result, the atherogenic index, the ratio of HDL to LDL + VLDL was markedly improved. Cholesterol content in the liver also decreased by 19% with taurine. Similar tendencies were seen in mice fed regular chow, but the changes were not significant. The area of aortic lipid accumulation, which served as an index of atherosclerosis, was reduced by 20% with taurine. In the liver, taurine doubled the activity of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase. These observations, together with prior findings, suggest that the cholesterol-lowering action of taurine may relate to the increased conversion of cholesterol to bile acids via stimulation of cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase activity. Thus, chronic treatment of high-fat mice with taurine improves the abnormal profile of the serum lipoproteins, and thereby retards the progression of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Improvement in cholesterol metabolism in mice given chronic treatment of taurine and fed a high-fat diet. 1002 45

Mammalian sterol regulatory enzymes are integral membrane proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum. They play a critical role in liver cholesterol homeostasis and the maintenance of overall cholesterol balance in different species. Because lipid peroxidation has been implicated in hepatic dysfunction and atherosclerosis, we hypothesized that its occurrence could alter the composition and properties of the bilayer lipid environment, and thereby affect the functions of these membrane proteins. Preincubation of rat liver microsomes with iron (Fe)/ascorbate (50 microM/200 microM), known to induce peroxidation, resulted in a significant inhibition of (i) the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis, HMG-CoA reductase (46%, p < .01), (ii) the crucial enzyme controlling the conversion of cholesterol in bile acids, cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (48%, p < .001), and (iii) the central enzyme for cholesterol esterification: Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT, 80%, p < .0001). The disturbances of these key enzymes took place concomitantly with the high production of malondialdehyde (350%, p < .007) and the loss of polyunsaturated fatty acids (36.19 +/- 1.06% vs. 44.24 +/- 0.41 in controls, p < .0008). While alpha-tocopherol simultaneously neutralized lipid peroxidation, preserved microsomal fatty acid status, and restored ACAT activity, it was not effective in preventing Fe/ascorbate-induced inactivation of both HMG-CoA reductase (44%, p < .01) and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (71%, p < .0001). These results indicate that Fe/ascorbate alters the activity of the rate-determining steps in liver cholesterol metabolism, either directly or via lipid peroxidation, capable of modifying their membrane environment. The present data also suggest that the three regulatory enzymes respond differently when exposed to Fe/ascorbate or antioxidants, which may be due to dissimilar mechanisms.
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PMID:Modulation of endoplasmic reticulum-bound cholesterol regulatory enzymes by iron/ascorbate-mediated lipid peroxidation. 1065 90

The use of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) in randomized clinical trials has established that cholesterol-lowering treatment reduces the risk of both cardiovascular and total mortality. This reduction in risk occurs in patients with or without existing cardiovascular disease and in patients with high or average plasma cholesterol concentrations. Aggressive treatment to lower plasma cholesterol has been shown to slow progression of atherosclerosis and in some instances may be as successful as angioplasty in reducing ischemic events. These studies suggest that reduction of plasma cholesterol to levels even below 100 mg/dl might be desirable. New targets for cholesterol-lowering therapy with mechanisms of action different from the statins have been identified. One of these targets is the Na(+)-dependent bile acid transporter that is expressed in the terminal ileum. This protein is responsible for recycling bile acids from the intestine to the liver. Several compounds that demonstrate the ability to decrease transporter activity and to lower plasma cholesterol have been investigated. Absorption of cholesterol from the small intestine is another potential target. Compounds that inhibit cholesterol absorption may act by interacting stoichiometrically with cholesterol within the intestinal lumen or substoichiometrically, presumably within the enterocyte. Finally, the transcriptional regulation of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase by members of the nuclear receptor superfamily provides at least two other molecular targets for cholesterol-lowering drugs.
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PMID:New molecular targets for cholesterol-lowering therapy. 1077 97

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily that are involved in regulation of cholesterol transport and metabolism. Expression of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, cholesteryl ester transfer protein and certain ATP-binding cassette transporters that are responsible for cholesterol efflux from cells is regulated by LXR and its ligands. In this report we show that 5alpha, 6alpha-epoxycholesterol-3-sulfate (ECHS) and 7-ketocholesterol-3-sulfate inhibit transactivation of a reporter gene by LXR. Non-sulfated forms of these compounds, as well as many other steroid sulfates, had no antagonistic activity. Using chimeric receptors, the antagonistic activity of ECHS was dependent on its interaction with the ligand-binding domain of LXR. ECHS disrupts recruitment of the co-activator Grip 1 into a complex with agonist-bound LXR and this may be responsible for the observed antagonistic properties of these compounds. In various cultured cells, these LXR antagonists also promote de novo cholesterol synthesis and apoptosis. 7-Ketocholesterol and 5alpha, 6alpha-epoxycholesterol are present in blood and have been found in atherosclerotic plaques. If sulfated forms of these oxidized sterols are also present, they may have an important role in foam cell formation by inhibiting LXR function. Since LXR agonists can counteract the activity of these antagonists, they may have therapeutic potential against atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Auto-oxidized cholesterol sulfates are antagonistic ligands of liver X receptors: implications for the development and treatment of atherosclerosis. 1118 36

The present study describes the cholesterol absorption by hyperlipidemia atherosclerosis prone (LAP) Japanese quail to address their high susceptibility to experimental atherosclerosis. The apparent cholesterol absorption rate of LAP quail was compared with that of commercially available (CA) Japanese quail. After 14 d of cholesterol feeding by gavage, it was found that the cholesterol excretion of LAP quail was significantly lower than that of CA quail. The fecal excretion of bile acid and fat showed a similar tendency to that as shown with the case of cholesterol. The cholesterol feeding only increased the serum cholesterol level of LAP quail, and this trend holds true for the liver lipid concentration. The expression level of liver cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase mRNA showed no difference between LAP and CA strains under the conditions of cholesterol loading. These results showed that the cholesterol absorption by LAP quail is significantly higher than that by CA quail, which may reasonably explain the higher susceptibility of this strain to experimental atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Increased cholesterol absorption by hyperlipidemia atherosclerosis prone (LAP) Japanese quail. 1123 16


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