Effects of probucol on the cholesterol content of skin in type II hyperlipoproteinemias.
500 mg of probucol were given twice a day for 6 months to 20 type II hyperlipoproteinemic patients, 14 men and 6 women, including 10 type IIb and 10 type IIa cases. Tendon xanthomas were present in 11 and xanthelasma in 4. Their mean blood cholesterol level was 435 +/- 100 mg/100 ml and triglycerides 210 +/- 138 mg/100 ml. A normal diet was maintained during the treatment period. Skin biopsies were made on the forearm, before and after the 6 month treatment. After lyophilization of the skin fragments, the free and esterified cholesterol contents were measured by gas chromatography after preparative thin layer chromatography on silica gel. The free and esterified cholesterol contents of the skin both appear to be significantly increased when the values found before treatment in these patients are compared with those of skin analysis in 10 normal controls: 2.25 to 1.58 micrograms/mg freeze-dried skin, p less than 0.001 for the esterified fraction. After 6 month probucol treatment the free cholesterol does not change significantly (2.25 to 2.16) and the esterified cholesterol increases (0.44 to 0.66, p less than 0.01). This effect is suggestive of an interaction of probucol with the synthesis and transport of cholesterol at the tissue level. It may be significant for the understanding of the effects of this drug and others on xanthelasma, tendon xanthomas, and atherosclerosis. In one of the cases studied here, the xanthelasma was greatly reduced during the treatment.
D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006938:Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011341:Probucol / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014973:Xanthomatosis / Q000378:metabolism
D010636:Phenols; D002784:Cholesterol; D011341:Probucol