Effect of Lipid Lowering Medications on PON1.

Lipid abnormalities are among the most important risk factors of the development of atherosclerosis. Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-methyglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (statins) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha ligand (fibrates) are widely used as lipid lowering drugs in patients with disturbed lipid metabolism. Apart from reducing plasma lipid levels, these agents have additional beneficial effects on other processes involved in the atherosclerotic process. In the last few years the favourable effect of these drugs on human paraoxonase-1 activity was extensively investigated both in in vitro and in vivo studies. This chapter summarizes the results of in vivo and in vitro studies, and the putative mechanisms of altered PON1 activity caused by statin and fibrate administration. The possible causes of discrepancies in currently available data will be also discussed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]