Beta-blockade and plasma lipids.

Several studies show that many selective and non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs and beta-blockers with weak intrinsic sympathomimetic activity increase serum total cholesterol and triglyceride and decrease HDL-cholesterol and free fatty acid concentrations. The concentrations of serum free fatty acids and triglycerides remained about constant during twelve months treatment of hypertensive patients with pindolol. The level of HDL-cholesterol was increased after the first month of treatment, but there were no significant differences between the concentrations of HDL-cholesterol before the treatment and after three, six and twelve months of treatment. The ratio of HDL-cholesterol to total cholesterol increased from 0.18 to 0.20 during treatment, and this increase was statistically significant at six month. The concentration of apolipoprotein A-I and the ratio of A-I to apoprotein A-II increased slightly but not significantly during pindolol treatment. Lecithin cholesterol acyl-transferase activity was significantly higher during pindolol treatment than after three weeks break of treatment. Comparing the results of the study of pindolol with previous reports of other beta-blockers pindolol might have fewer untoward effects on lipid metabolism than beta-blockers without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity.