Calcium, calcium antagonists and experimental atherosclerosis.

Several calcium entry blockers have shown an antiatherosclerotic effect both in vitro and in vivo. The effects are particularly evident against smooth muscle cell migration multiplication, matrix formation, calcium and cholesterol accumulation. Among the new calcium antagonists, isradipine, amlodipine and lacidipine, are promising as antiatherosclerotic agents. Lacidipine is particularly interesting because of its lipophylic structure and accumulation in cell membranes. Lacidipine is structurally related to nifedipine; we observed that lacidipine inhibits three major processes of atherogenesis: cholesteryl ester metabolism in macrophages, proliferation of myocytes, and their migration.