LR 19731 [4-p-chlorophenyl-5-beta-(N'-phenyl)piperazinoethyl-1,3-dioxolin-2-one] lowers the plasma
cholesterol and
triglyceride levels of rats in several experimental conditions after single or repeated treatments, while it is scarcely active on liver
lipids. The compound is especially effective in reducing plasma
cholesterol in a dose-related manner both in normolipemic and hyperlipemic rats. The minimal effective dose (after five oral treatments in 4 days to normolipemic rats) is as low as 3 mg/kg, the ED50 is 11.3 mg/kg, while the maximal effective dose capable of completely suppressing plasma
cholesterol is 100 mg/kg. Surgical removal of the thyroid gland does not influence its activity. At its ED50 the compound does not cause
hepatomegaly, accumulation of
desmosterol in plasma and liver. Under the same experimental conditions
clofibrate presents a poor dose-response correlation on plasma
lipids and generally appears at least 10 times less active than
LR 19731 on
cholesterol but more effective on liver weight. The experiments of general pharmacology indicate that
LR 19731 does not effect central and peripheral nervous functions, does not influence the cardiovascular system or cause skeletal muscle relaxation,
hypothermia,
analgesia, and does not possess anti-inflammatory properties up to a dose of about 100 mg/kg.