It has been accepted by some investigators that the mechanism of cholesterol-lowering action is associated wth action of Probucol converting cholesterol to bile acid. Because Probucol changes biliary lipid composition and increases percent bile acid in bile.
Therefore, the effects of this drug on biliary lipids were further investigated in this study.
1. When 750mg a day Probucol was given to 21 hyperlipoproteinemic patients for eight to twelve weeks. The molar percent cholesterol (NS) and phospholipids (p<0.1) of bile slightly decreased and therefore percent total bile acid increased slightly (p<0.1). The lithogenic index tended to be lowered but not statistically significant. Individual bile acid composition was not altered.
2. When four familiar hyperlipoproteinemic patients (two type IIa, IIb and IV) were treated with same dose of Probucol for two weeks fecal output of neutral and acidic sterols was not increased in spite of dramatic decrease of serum cholesterol.
Therefore, it is possible to conclude that although Probucol induces slight change in biliary lipid composition, there is no evidence that its mechanism of action is converting cholesterol to bile acid resulting in increasing fecal output of sterols.
