Hypolipidemic drugs are inhibitors of phosphatidylcholine synthesis

Clofibric acid (CPIB) and several other systemic hypolipidemic drugs are shown to block phosphatidylcholine synthesis by inhibiting cholinephosphotransferase (ChoPTase; CDPcholine:1,2-diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase, EC 2.7.8.2) and particularly lysolecithin acyltransferase (LLAcylTase; acyl-CoA:1-acylglycero-3-phosphocholine O-acyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.23) of rat liver microsomes. Whereas millimolar drug concentrations are required to affect de novo lecithin synthesis catalyzed by ChoPTase, reacylation of lysolecithin by LLAcylTase is inhibited at micromolar levels. Increasing effectiveness in ChoPTase inhibition is observed in the series CPIB, SaH-42-348, tibric acid, S-321328, WY-14643, S-8527, and DH-990, with IC50 ranging from 22 mM (CPIB) to 0.3 mM (DH-990). LLAcylTase inhibition by the hypolipidemic drugs follows the same general pattern, but IC50 concentrations range from 9 mM (CPIB) to 40 microM (DH-990). The agents inhibit ChoPTase (Ki, 25-0.25 mM) and LLAcylTase (Ki, 10-0.025 mM) noncompetitively. The data suggest that inhibition of phosphatidylcholine synthesis, particularly by the LLAcylTase pathway, may be related to a drug's effectiveness in decreasing serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels by blocking lipoprotein synthesis.