ORAL ESTRADIOL-17-BETA RAISES THE LEVEL OF PLASMA HIGH-DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN IN MENOPAUSAL WOMEN BY SLOWING DOWN ITS CLEARANCE RATE

Plasma lipoprotein composition, plasma kinetics of autologous [I-125]H DL and the metabolism of iv administered radioactively labelled artifi cial chylomicrons were studied in postmenopausal women during a contro l period and after 4 months of oral estradiol-17-beta treatment (1 mg/ m2 body surface per day). Drug treatment significantly raised plasma H DL-cholesterol levels (19%) in the fasting state and total apolipoprot ein A-I (16%), but did not interfere with triglyceride, VLDL, LDL or a polipoprotein-B values. As compared with the control period, estradiol -17-beta administration significantly slowed down plasma [I-125]HDL cl earance by about 82% and reduced the delipidation index of the injecte d artificial chylomicrons by 47% as a consequence of impaired plasma l ipolytic activity.