Tetrazole and ester substituted tetrahydoquinoxalines as potent cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors.

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein is a plasma glycoprotein that transfers cholesterol ester between lipoprotein particles. Inhibition of this protein, in vitro and in vivo, produces an increase in plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). This communication will describe the SAR and synthesis of a series of substituted tetrahydroquinoxaline CETP inhibitors from early mu lead to advanced enantiomerically pure analogs.