Fig. 4From: Main differences between two highly effective lipid-lowering therapies in subclasses of lipoproteins in patients with acute myocardial infarctionEffects of lipid-lowering therapies on the atherogenic and nonatherogenic subfractions of lipoproteins. Rosuvastatin monotherapy decreased endogenous cholesterol synthesis and augmented both LDL receptor (LDL-R) expression and intestinal cholesterol absorption. The higher expression of LDL-R facilitated the clearance of large and buoyant LDL particles, which had more affinity to LDL-R than small dense particles. Following the use of simvastatin plus ezetimibe, other mechanisms were involved, and the decrease in cholesterol absorption by ezetimibe increased cholesterol synthesis and LDL-R expression. Differences in LDLR expression and lower intestinal cholesterol absorption may contribute to differences in the residual lipoprotein subfraction pattern. Higher effectiveness in the clearance of atherogenic IDL particles was also observed following simvastatin plus ezetimibe therapy compared with rosuvastatin monotherapyBack to article page