A Reappraisal of the Mechanisms of Hypocholesterolemic Action of Therapeutic Agents

Abstract
The most commonly used methods to study the mechanisms of hypocholesterolemic action of therapeutic agents generally determine the turnover of total (exchangeable) cholesterol pools in the body. This approach is based on the view that whatever increases the total load of cholesterol in the body will increase the levels of plasma cholesterol, and vice versa. Despite the importance of this assumption it has never been tested, and there is no evidence to indicate that it is valid under all conditions.