Bile Acid Sequestrants Polymeric Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

Bile Acid Sequestrants Polymeric Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs 

The molecular regulation of cellular cholesterol metabolism has been elucidated by Brown and Goldstein [64]. Cholesterol is synthesized in the hver by the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Subsequently, it is transformed into bile acid in the liver and secreted to the gall bladder. The statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, which is a key rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. The effective removal of the bile acid from the bile pool is another viable approach to reduce plasma LDLc. Removal of bile acid from the body results in upregulation of bile acid biosynthesis, which subsequently leads to a corresponding overall drop in plasma cholesterol levels [65]. The biochemical process of cholesterol metabolism is schematically illustrated in Fig. 6. 

Bile acid sequestrants (BAS) are crosslinked polymeric cationic gels that bind anionic bile adds in the GI tract and subsequently eliminate them from 

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Bile Acid Sequestrants Polymeric Drugs as Cholesterol-Lowering Agents... 

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