Removal of Cholesterol from Blood by Affinity Binding to Heparin-Agarose: Evaluation on Treatment in Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

SummaryExtracorporeal removal of cholesterol from blood with heparinagarose conjugates was studied as a means of reducing the plasma cholesterol concentration in two patients with homozygous familial. hypercholesterolemia. Both patients were treated in an outpatient clinic. Patient 1 underwent two separate courses of treatment;. during the first course of eight treatments, the plasma cholesterol concentration decreased by a maximum of 54% (from 811-370 mg/dl). The six treatments in the second course resulted in a 35% reduction of plasma cholesterol (from 939-632 mg/dl). In patient two, 12 consecutive treatments resulted in a 56% decrease in the concentration of plasma cholesterol (from 768-298 mg/dl). Repetitive treatments in both patients resulted in a new "steady state" with circulating cholesterol levels lower than the pretreatment baseline value. The decrease in plasma cholesterol is mainly due to the removal of low density lipoproteins. The circulating level of high density lipoproteins is unaffected by the treatment. The treatment has no effect on the chemical composition of both low and high density lipoproteins. The extracorporeal treatment of blood with heparin-agarose was well tolerated by both patients and there were no undesirable effects. The effectiveness and simplicity of the present approach makes it attractive as a possible mode of therapy for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

DALI—the first human whole‐blood low‐density lipoprotein and lipoprotein (a) apheresis system in clinical use: procedure and clinical results

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A new apheresis system using a copolymer (polyvinyl alcohol triethylene glycol diacrylate) for removal of LDL from dog whole blood

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