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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles
Published on: November 10, 2017
Molecular mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering effect of Ginkgo biloba extract in hepatocytes: a
Zuo-quan Xie1, Gai Liang, Lu Zhang
1State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics and Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
Aim:
To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-lowering effect of a Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE).
Methods:
Enzyme activity, cholesterol flux and changes in gene expression levels were assessed in cultured hepatocytes treated with GBE or lovastatin.
Results:
GBE decreased the total cholesterol content in cultured hepatocytes and inhibited the activity of HMG-CoA reductase, as determined by an in vitro enzyme activity assay. In addition, GBE decreased cholesterol influx, whereas lovastatin increased cholesterol influx. GBE treatment induced significant increases in the expression of cholesterogenic genes and genes involved in cholesterol metabolism, such as SREBF2, as determined by cDNA microarray and real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, INSIG2, LDLR, LRP1, and LRP10 were differentially regulated by GBE and lovastatin. The data imply that the two compounds modulate cholesterol metabolism through distinct mechanisms.
Conclusion:
By using a gene expression profiling approach, we were able to broaden the understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which GBE lowers cellular cholesterol levels. Specifically, we demonstrated that GBE exhibited dual effects on the cellular cholesterol pool by modulating both HMG-CoA reductase activity and inhibiting cholesterol influx.
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