Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

medicinal substances that lower the level of cholesterol in the blood and are used to treat and prevent atherosclerosis. Three main groups of cholesterol-lowering drugs are distinguished according to their mechanism of action: those that interfere with the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine, those that block the synthesis of cholesterol, and those that intensify the excretion and breakdown of cholesterol.

The first group includes preparations containing plant sterols (for example, betasitosterol), which act on the basis of competitive antagonism to cholesterol, and some substances containing saponins (for example, diosponin), whose interaction with cholesterol forms poorly soluble complexes. The second group includes acetic acid derivatives (for example, phenexan and cetamiphenum), which slow cholesterol synthesis. The best-known preparations of the third group are d-thyroxine and thyroxine-like substances.

Preparations and oils containing unsaturated fatty acids (linetol, corn oil) also lower cholesterol levels. Blood cholesterol sometimes decreases following the use of neurotropic drugs (for example, amytal sodium, phenobarbital, chloral hydrate, chlorpromazine hydrochloride, tropaphenum, and hexamethonium benzosulfenas), vitamins C, B₆, B₁₂, E, and PP, some drugs that stimulate the flow of bile from the liver, and male sex hormones.