Category:Lipid regulating drugs

Lipid regulating drugs（中文： 降血脂藥）

Lipid regulating drugs are used to modify blood lipid concentrations in the management of hyperlipidaemias and for the reduction of cardiovascular risk. The principal groups of lipid regulating drugs are the statins and fibrates; ezetimibe, an inhibitor of intestinal cholesterol absorption, is also used.

The statins are inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the rate-determining enzyme for cholesterol synthesis. They reduce cholesterol by stimulating an increase in low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-receptors on hepatocyte membranes, thereby increasing the clearance of LDL from the circulation. Their main effect is to reduce LDL-cholesterol, but they may also reduce triglycerides to a modest extent and increase high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. They are generally considered to be the most effective lipid lowering drugs.

The statins contain the following drugs:

• Atrovastatin
• Rosuvastatin
• Simvastatin

The fibrates are activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α and inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol and bile acids, and enhance the secretion of cholesterol in bile. Their main effect is to reduce triglycerides by reducing the concentration of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL); they also increase HDL-cholesterol and have variable effects on LDL-cholesterol. They are used mainly in patients with hypertriglyceridaemia

Example is:

• Gemfibrozil