INHIBITION OF RAT-LIVER MICROSOMAL FATTY-ACID CHAIN ELONGATION BY GEMIFIBROZIL INVITRO

Gemfibrozil, a hypolipidemic drug mainly used in the treatment of hype rtriglyceridemic states, strongly inhibits the rat hepatic microsomal fatty acid chain elongation system in vitro. The inhibition is indepen dent on the reducing cofactor used in the assay. Furthermore, gemfibro zil seems to act by inhibiting the rate-limiting step of the elongatio n process, the condensing reaction, without discriminating among the p roposed three different condensing enzymes, devoted to condensation of saturated, mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated acyl-CoA substrates.