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Effect of gemfibrozil on erythrocyte membrane lipids in geriatric patients
1Institute of Gerontology, University of Erlangen/Nürenberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
Insights
Gemfibrozil treatment significantly reduced serum lipids in geriatric patients with hyperlipidemia. It also altered erythrocyte membrane lipid composition, potentially impacting membrane fluidity.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Geriatric Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Hyperlipidemia is prevalent in geriatric patients, often requiring intervention when diet alone is insufficient.
- Untreated hyperlipidemia poses risks, necessitating effective therapeutic strategies in elderly populations.
- Gemfibrozil is a lipid-lowering agent used to manage dyslipidemia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of gemfibrozil in geriatric patients with hyperlipidemia.
- To analyze changes in serum lipid profiles and erythrocyte membrane composition post-gemfibrozil therapy.
- To assess the impact of gemfibrozil on rheological parameters.
Main Methods:
- A three-week, once-daily regimen of 900 mg gemfibrozil was administered to 20 geriatric patients.
- Serum lipid levels (total cholesterol, triglycerides) were measured before and after treatment.
- Erythrocyte membrane lipid composition and rheological parameters were analyzed pre- and post-therapy.
Main Results:
- Gemfibrozil significantly reduced mean serum total cholesterol by 16.3% and triglycerides by 35.2%.
- Erythrocyte membrane phospholipids showed a slight decrease in saturated fatty acids and an increase in w6-unsaturated fatty acids.
- The phospholipid to cholesterol molar ratio in erythrocyte membranes decreased significantly.
Conclusions:
- Gemfibrozil effectively lowers serum lipids in geriatric patients with hyperlipidemia.
- The drug induces subtle alterations in erythrocyte membrane lipid composition.
- These membrane changes may be partially compensated by shifts in lipid ratios, potentially maintaining membrane fluidity.
Abstract:
Twenty geriatric patients with primary or secondary hyperlipidemia and suffering from various other diseases received for three weeks once daily 900 mg gemfibrozil. The hyperlipidemia had not been treated before, and a cholesterol-reduced diet did not succeed in lowering total cholesterol below 6.75 mmol/l (260 mg/100 ml) and serum triglycerides below 1.97 mmol/l (175 mg/100 ml). The purpose of this study was to analyze the lipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane, serum lipids and rheological parameters before and after the therapy. Mean serum total cholesterol and triglyceride content decreased significantly by 16.3% (p less than 0.05) and 35.2% (p less than 0.01) on average, respectively. Aggregation of thrombocytes and of erythrocytes, thrombin time and partial thromboplastin time slightly varied during the three weeks' treatment, but without statistical significance. The content of total long-chain saturated fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction of the erythrocyte membrane decreased slightly from 41.3% to 40.9% (p less than 0.05), whereas the total w6-unsaturated fatty acids without the precursor linoleic acid increased by about the same extent from 15.66% to 16.0% (p less than 0.05). The molar ratio of phospholipid to cholesterol content decreased significantly (p less than 0.01) due to a reduced phospholipid content at the end of the therapy. In conclusion, in addition to reducing the serum lipids, gemfibrozil slightly effects the lipid composition of erythrocytes, but the effects of the varied concentrations of long-chain saturated and long-chain w6-unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction on membrane fluidity might be compensated, at least partly, by the decrease of the ratio of membrane phospholipid to cholesterol.