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Pharmacological characterization of NTE-122 (trans-1,4-bis[[1-cyclohexyl-3-(4-dimethylamino phenyl)ureido]methyl]cyclohexane), a novel acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor, was performed with both in vitro and in vivo assay systems. NTE-122 inhibited microsomal ACAT activities of various tissues (liver of rabbit and rat, small intestine of rabbit and rat, and aorta of rabbit) and cultured cells (HepG2 and CaCo-2), with IC50 values from 1.2 to 9.6 nM. The inhibition mode of NTE-122 was competitive for HepG2 ACAT. NTE-122 had no effect on other lipid metabolizing enzymes, such as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, acyl-CoA synthetase, cholesterol esterase, lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase, acyl-CoA:sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase up to 10 microM. When NTE-122 was administered to the cholesterol diet-fed rats, serum and liver cholesterol levels were markedly reduced with an ED50 of 0.12 and 0.44 mg/kg/day, respectively. In the cholesterol diet-fed rabbits, NTE-122 significantly lowered plasma and liver cholesterol levels at more than 2 mg/kg/day. These results indicate that NTE-122 is a potent, selective and competitive inhibitor of ACAT, making it a worth while therapeutic agent for hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.

ABSTRACT-The cholesterol-lowering and anti-atherosclerotic effects of ureido]methyl]cyclohexane), an acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitor, were evaluated in 1% cholesterol diet-fed rabbits. NTE-122 (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg per day) lowered the total cholesterol levels in both plasma and liver dose-dependently (by 99% and 94% at 10 mg /kg per day, respectively). In the aortic wall of the rabbits given NTE-122, the atherosclerotic lesion area in both aortic arch and thoracic aorta were dose-dependently reduced (by 100% at 10 mg/ kg per day), and the total cholesterol content in aortic arch was also lowered significantly at more than 3 mg/kg per day. These results suggest that NTE-122 is capable of exhibiting anti-atherosclerotic effects.

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