Influence of bezafibrate on plasma lipoproteins, biliary lipids and fecal sterols in healthy men

The effect of a 4-week treatment with 600 mg/day of bezafibrate in addition to a low-cholesterol, fat-modified diet on plasma lipids and lipoproteins and on biliary lipids and fecal sterols was investigated in 12 healthy men aged 25-39, and compared to the effect of the diet plus placebo, using a double-blind crossover design. The comparison of placebo and treatment values indicated that bezafibrate, beyond the effect of the diet, significantly lowered concentrations of circulating triglycerides (-25.5%), total cholesterol (-25.8%), LDL cholesterol (-19.5%), and apolipoprotein B (-19.9%), and increased apolipoprotein A-II concentrations in serum (+15.0%). There was a tendency towards lower biliary bile acid and cholesterol secretion rates with bezafibrate; lithogenic indices in fasting and stimulated bile were similar with the drug and placebo. Fecal bile acid excretion rate with diet plus bezafibrate was significantly less than with diet plus placebo. The data obtained are in accord with the hypothesis that bezafibrate exerts its effects on cholesterol and bile acid metabolism predominantly by decreasing VLDL secretion, possibly through an enhancement of fatty acid beta-oxidation in the liver.