Comparison of the effects of D-003 and policosanol on lipid profile and endothelial cells in normocholesterolemic rabbits

Background: Policosanol is a cholesterol-lowering drug purified from sugar cane wax that consists of a mixture of higher aliphatic primary alcohols. D-003 is a mixture of long-chain aliphatic primary acids isolated from the same source with experimentally proven cholesterol-lowering effects. Objective: The present study was undertaken to compare the cholesterol-lowering effects of D-003 and policosanol in normocholesterolemic New Zealand rabbits. In addition, the effects of the 2 drugs on levels of plasma circulating endothelial cells (PCEC) before and after citrate-induced endothelial damage were compared. Methods: Animals were randomly distributed to 3 experimental groups: 1 control and 2 treatment groups. Rabbits in the treatment groups received orally administered policosanol or D-003 daily at 5 mg/kg, the lowest effective dose of policosanol in this model, for 30 days. Results: After 15 days of treatment, both D-003 and policosanol significantly ( P P P P P P P P P Conclusions: D-003 administered orally at 5 mg/kg for 30 days to normocholesterolemic rabbits induced more beneficial changes in serum LDL-C levels than policosanol at the same dose. In addition, a slightly greater beneficial effect on HDL-C levels and PCEC count was noted with D-003 versus policosanol. Although D-003 was more effective than policosanol in these experimental conditions, additional comparative studies that include a wide dose range of both drugs must be conducted before definitive conclusions can be made about the comparative cholesterol-lowering effects of D-003.