Lipophilic calcium antagonists in antiatherosclerotic therapy.

Two key events in atherosclerotic plaque formation are the deposition of lipids in cells of the vascular wall, and migration and proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells from the tunica intima toward the media. It has been shown that various calcium-channel antagonists may delay plaque formation in animal models. Among these, the new and highly lipophilic calcium antagonists, such as lacidipine and lercanidipine, display the most promising antiatherosclerotic activities. This paper will review and discuss these beneficial effects.