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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Cholesterol Efflux Assay
Published on: March 6, 2012
Reduction of plasma cholesterol by lovastatin normalizes erythrocyte membrane fluidity in patients with severe
Y Levy1, R Leibowitz, M Aviram
1Rambam Medical Center, Rappaport Family Institute for Research in Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel.
Abstract:
The effect of lovastatin on erythrocyte membrane composition and fluidity was investigated in eight patients with severe hypercholesterolaemia (mean LDL-cholesterol of 7.2 mmol l-1). Lovastatin was administered at a dosage of 40-80 mg for 20 weeks and was discontinued for 5 weeks thereafter. Parallel to a 47% fall in plasma LDL cholesterol, there was a significant reduction (P < 0.01) in erythrocyte membrane cholesterol:phospholipid molar ratio, while erythrocyte membrane fluidity assessed by diphenylhexatriene (DPH) fluorescence polarization increased significantly (P < 0.01). Discontinuation of lovastatin resulted in the reversal of erythrocyte membrane composition and fluidity to pre-treatment values.
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