抄録
Lipoprotein (a), Lp (a), is a variant from of LDL that contains apo (a). Elevated plasma levels of Lp (a) are considered to be an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.
We studied the effect of niceritrol, a nicotinic acid derivative, on serum Lp (a) levels in 98 patients with hyperlipidemia. The dosage of niceritrol was increased every 4 weeks (e. g., from 750mg to 1, 500mg to 2, 250mg/day). The final dosage was adjusted to achieve good control or good compliance with each patient.
Niceritrol therapy of 16 weeks leads to a significant decrease in serum levels of Lp (a), from 24.1±2.6mg/dl to 15.5±2.3mg/dl. In the group with pre-treatment level of Lp (a) over 20mg/dl, the reduction rate of Lp (a) was 8.9%, 22.6% and 31.5% at doses of 750mg, 1, 500mg and 2, 250mg/day, respectively. It is suggested that a reduction in the Lp (a) level is related to the dosage of niceritrol and the pretreatment level of Lp (a).
In conclusion, niceritrol therapy proved to be effective in a dose-dependent manner for reducing the Lp (a) level as well as for improving other lipid characteristics.
