Para-aminosalicylic acid as a lipid-lowering agent.

The capacity of para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) to lower initially high serum lipoprotein lipid concentrations was tested in a double-blind crossover study. Thirty patients who were on a lipid-lowering diet were treated with PAS (6 gm daily) for 4 wk. There was an average reduction of the serum triglyceride concentration of 28% (p less than 0.001) and of 12% of the serum cholesterol concentration (p less than 0.001) corresponding to a reduction of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglycerides of 40% (p less than 0.001) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of 6% (p less than 0.05). In hypercholesterolemic patients, the LDL cholesterol reduction was 14% (p less than 0.001). In patients with hypertriglyceridemia type IV, the mean reduction of the VLDL triglyceride concentration was 47% (p less than 0.01), corresponding to a serum triglyceride reduction by 37% (p less than 0.01). In spite of the decrease of VLDL concentration, there was an unexpected reduction of the lipoprotein lipase activity in adipose tissue of 16% (p less than 0.02). The glucose tolerance and the serum insulin concentrations at fasting and after glucose injection were not changed.