Effect of pindolol on serum lipids and lipid metabolizing enzymes.

1 The effect on plasma lipids of pindolol given orally over a 6 month period to 20 patients with essential hypertension was studied. 2 During therapy an adipose tissue biopsy was taken from nine patients for the determination of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity and serum samples were taken for lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) assays. An additional biopsy and serum samples were taken after a 3 weeks' break in pindolol treatment. 3 Plasma free fatty acid and triglyceride concentrations remained similar during treatment. 4 Plasma total cholesterol was slightly lower (P less than 0.05) at 6 months than at 1 month. 5 HDL cholesterol concentration and the ratio of HDL to total cholesterol increased slightly, and the increase of HDL-cholesterol was significant (P less than 0.05) at 1 month. 6 LCAT activity was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) during pindolol treatment than after the break in it. No significant changes in adipose tissue LPL activities were found before and after the break of treatment.