Effect of ciprofibrate treatment on biliary lipids in patients with hyperlipoproteinaemia

Treatment with hypolipidaemic drugs such as clofibrate increases secretion of biliary cholesterol and induces supersaturation of bile, leading to an increased risk of gallstone formation. Ciprofibrate is a phenoxyisobutyrate derivative with lipid-lowering effects in hyperlipoproteinaemia. We analysed serum lipid levels and biliary lipid composition and cholesterol saturation of gallbladder bile in nineteen hyperlipoproteinaemic patients before and after 6 weeks treatment with ciprofibrate, 100 mg daily. In addition, hepatic secretion rates of biliary lipids were determined in eight of the patients. Ten of the patients were also studied after 1 year of treatment. Short-term treatment reduced the serum cholesterol levels by about 20% (P less than 0.001) and the serum triglycerides by about 40% (P less than 0.001). The relative cholesterol concentration and cholesterol saturation of bile were not significantly increased for the group as a whole, nor in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (n = 9), or with other types of hyperlipidaemia (n = 10). During treatment, however, fourteen patients had saturated bile compared with nine before treatment. An increase in cholesterol saturation was the consequence of an increased hepatic secretion of cholesterol whereas the secretion rates of bile acids and phospholipids were unaffected. After 1 year of treatment the serum lipid concentrations were reduced to about the same level as after 6 weeks, whereas biliary lipid composition and cholesterol saturation had returned to pre-treatment values. In contrast to clofibrate ciprofibrate exerts hypolipidaemic effects without consistently increasing the relative cholesterol concentration in bile. In some patients it leads to a transient rise in cholesterol saturation of gallbladder bile.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)