CDXC: Cholesterol medications are the leading class of prescription drugs in the USA, with 255 million prescriptions a year.
Lipitor — the country's best-selling drug, with sales of $7.2 billion last year —
Crestor — the eighth-leading drug in the USA, with $3.8 billion in annual sales
Of the four compounds, pterostilbene showed the highest potency for activating the cells' PPAR-alpha receptor, which in turn plays a role in reducing cholesterol and other lipids.
“Pterostilbene was similar in activity to ciprofibrate, a commercial drug that lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides. But ciprofibrate, whose mechanism of action on cells is less specific, can have side effects such as muscle pain and nausea. Pterostilbene, which targets a specific receptor, is likely to have fewer side effects," said Rimando.
The compound did not show any signs of cell toxicity in preliminary studies.
