title: Effects of bezafibrate on lipoprotein subclasses and inflammatory markers in patients with hypertriglyceridemia--a nuclear magnetic resonance study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypertriglyceridemia is often associated with elevated remnants, small dense LDL and decreased HDL-cholesterol (C). The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of bezafibrate on lipoprotein subfractions profile and inflammation markers in patients with hypertriglyceridemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four hypertriglyceridemic subjects took bezafibrate, 400 mg daily, for 4 weeks. Lipoprotein subclasses were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Inflammation markers including C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) were also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bezafibrate lowered triglyceride (TG) by 59% and increased HDL-C by 20%. NMR analysis revealed that bezafibrate lowered large TG-rich lipoproteins and IDL by 81% and 46%, respectively. Small LDL was selectively decreased by 53% with increase in large to intermediate LDL, thus altering the LDL distribution towards the larger particles (mean diameter 19.9 to 20.7 nm, p = 0.0001). Small (HDL1) and intermediate (HDL3) HDL significantly increased by 168% and 70%, whereby resulting in a significant reduction of the mean HDL particle size from 9.0 to 8.7 nm (p = 0.026). None of inflammation makers showed significant change by bezafibrate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bezafibrate effectively ameliorates atherogenic dyslipidemia by reducing remnants and small LDL as well as by increasing HDL particles in hypertriglyceridemic subjects.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. kikewaki@jikei.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikewaki
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noma
authors.forename: Jun-Ichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tohyama
authors.forename: Toshimi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kido
authors.forename: Seibu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
mesh_terms: D001629:Bezafibrate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D053440:Lipoproteins, HDL3; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008074:Lipoproteins; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D053440:Lipoproteins, HDL3; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D001629:Bezafibrate