R. Sano et al., REDUCTION BY NICERITROL TREATMENT OF SERUM LIPOPROTEIN(A) IN NORMOLIPIDEMIC PATIENTS WITH CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE, Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, 169(4), 1993, pp. 299-307
The effect of niceritrol at an ordinary dose (1500 mg/day) on the seru
m lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentration was investigated in 25 normolip
idemic patients with coronary artery disease. The serum Lp(a) level wa
s reduced by approximately 21% after 3 months of treatment (before tre
atment, 30.3+/-4.1 mg/100 ml; during treatment, 22.6+/-2.4 mg/100 ml;
p<0.01). By one month after the drug was discontinued, the Lp(a) retur
ned to a pretreatment level (30.8+/-2.8 mg/100 ml). The levels of LDL-
cholesterol and apoB were decreased significantly by the drug therapy;
LDL-cholesterol increased closely to a pretreatment level after withd
rawal of the drug. The percentage reduction of Lp(a) was significantly
correlated with that of fibrinogen (r=0.763, p<0.01). Plasma concentr
ation of fibrinogen was decreased in the patients whose reduction rate
of Lp(a) was 30% or more. These results indicate that niceritrol has
Lp(a)-lowering effect; sufficient reduction of Lp(a) may improve dysco
agulopathy of patients with coronary artery disease.