3QNT29881237636ENSG00000015520ENSMUSG00000020447Q9UHC9Q6T3U4NM_001101648NM_001300967NM_013389NM_207242NP_001095118NP_001287896NP_037521n/aNiemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) is a protein found on the gastrointestinal tract's epithelial cells[5] as well as in hepatocytes.

[6] Specifically, it appears to bind to a critical mediator of cholesterol absorption.

[8] One study found that people with inactivating mutations in the NPC1L1 gene had a lower LDL cholesterol level, as well as an around 50% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.

[9] NPC1L1 has been shown to be an accessory receptor for hepatitis C virus entry into cells, and thus ezetimibe might be used as a therapeutic strategy.

[10] As cancer appeared more frequently in patients treated with simvastatin-ezetimibe combination therapy in one clinical trial,[11] it had been hypothesized that NPC1L1 inhibition by ezetimibe might be associated with an increased cancer risk.