Abstract: A method of treating or preventing coronary artery disease in an animal includes increasing blood serum apoA1 level in the animal by administering an effective amount of an agonist of the orphan nuclear receptor PXR. A method of identifying a substance useful for treating or preventing coronary artery disease in an animal by increasing blood serum apoA1 level in the animal, includes determining whether the substance is an agonist of the orphan nuclear receptor PXR. A composition for treating or preventing coronary artery disease in an animal by increasing blood serum apoA1 levels in the animal includes an effective amount of a combination of an agonist of the orphan nuclear receptor PXR and an agonist of the orphan nuclear receptor PPAR?.

Abstract: An HDL cholesterol level inducing compound and a method of administering the compound having the structural formula I. ##STR1## wherein n is 1 or 2;R.sub.1 is a heteroaromatic substituent independently selected from a five-membered heteroaromatic ring having at least one N heteroatom, a six-membered heteroaromatic ring having at least one N heteroatom, or a fused ring system having at least one five-membered heteroaromatic ring having at least one N heteroatom;R.sub.2 is independently selected from --H or phenyl; andR.sub.3 is independently selected from --H, --CH.sub.3, --OH, phenyl, phenyl substituted with Cl, OCH.sub.3, CH.sub.3, or F, fused phenyl ring system, or six-membered heteroaromatic ring having at least one N heteroatom.