Endocrine Abstracts

Context: Ezetimibe and simvastatin are often used in combination to lower blood lipid levels. The consequences of this combination at the molecular level are unknown.Objective: To examine their effects on the LDL receptor (LDLR) protein expression and on the LDLR and HMG-CoA reductase gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).Design, setting and participants: Prospective, randomized, parallel 3-group trial. Twent...

Hydroxysteroid (17-β) dehydrogenase enzymes (HSD17Bs) have an important role in sex steroid hormone metabolism. They are known to catalyze reactions between highly active 17β-hydroxy steroids and less active 17-keto steroids. In addition to sex steroid metabolism, it is becoming evident that HSD17Bs have functions in other pathways as well, e.g. lipid and bile acid metabolism. HSD17B type 7 enzyme is known to catalyze in vitro the activation of estrone (E1) to...