Ezetimibe, a potent cholesterol absorption inhibitor, normalizes combined dyslipidemia in obese hyperinsulinemic hamsters.

Ezetimibe potently and selectively inhibits cholesterol absorption in the intestine, thereby reducing plasma cholesterol in preclinical models of hypercholesterolemia. Clinical trials have demonstrated that ezetimibe lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol in humans. The effect of ezetimibe on other dyslipidemias, particularly hypertriglyceridemia, is not yet known. In the present studies, we assessed the effect of ezetimibe on combined hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in obese hyperinsulinemic hamsters. Hamsters were fed chow, chow with cholesterol (0.12%), or the same cholesterol diet containing different dietary triglycerides (15%) in the absence or presence of 1 mg/kg ezetimibe (in diet) for up to 84 days. Body weight, serum insulin, leptin, glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were analyzed. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were also determined in VLDL+IDL, LDL, and HDL. Hamsters maintained on high-fat diets became obese, hyperinsulinemic, hyperleptinemic, hypercholesterolemic, and hypertriglyceridemic. Ezetimibe did not affect body weight, insulin, or leptin, but ablated the combined hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia induced by high-fat diets. Ezetimibe normalized VLDL+IDL cholesterol and triglyceride and significantly decreased LDL cholesterol to below chow-fed levels. The ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol increased significantly with the addition of ezetimibe. Ezetimibe completely eliminated the accumulation of cholesteryl ester and free cholesterol in liver that was induced under the various dietary conditions in the absence of drug. In conclusion, ezetimibe is very effective in correcting the combined dyslipidemia in diet-induced obese hyperinsulinemic hamsters and may be an effective therapy for ameliorating combined dyslipidemia in obese insulin-resistant and/or type 2 diabetic humans.