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Published on: November 10, 2017

Atorvastatin reduces proinflammatory markers in hypercholesterolemic patients

Elia Ascer1, Marcelo C Bertolami, Margareth L Venturinelli

  • 1Heart Institute (InCor HCFMUSP), Medical School, University of São Paulo, Fundação Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal, Av. Enéas de C. Aguiar 44, São Paulo, SP 05403-901, Brazil. dclascer@incor.usp.br

Atherosclerosis
|October 19, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Atorvastatin significantly reduced inflammatory markers like TNF, IL-6, IL-1, sICAM-1, and CRP in hypercholesterolemic patients compared to diet alone. These findings suggest statins

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Statins are known to reduce cardiovascular events, partly due to their anti-inflammatory effects.
  • Hypercholesterolemia is associated with elevated inflammatory markers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of atorvastatin on key inflammatory markers in hypercholesterolemic patients.
  • To compare the effects of atorvastatin plus diet versus diet alone on these markers.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized study involving hypercholesterolemic patients (LDL-cholesterol >160 mg/dL).
  • One group received atorvastatin (20-40 mg/day) plus diet; the control group received diet alone.
  • Plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6, sICAM-1, and CRP were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks using ELISA.

Main Results:

  • Atorvastatin significantly reduced LDL-cholesterol by 39.9% compared to 4.4% with diet alone (P <0.0001).
  • Significant reductions were observed in atorvastatin group for TNF (21.4%), IL-6 (22.1%), IL-1 (16.4%), and sICAM-1 (9.6%) versus minimal changes with diet alone.
  • The percentage of patients with high CRP levels decreased significantly in the atorvastatin group (25.0% to 6.7%, P <0.0001), with no significant change in the diet-only group.

Conclusions:

  • Atorvastatin significantly reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1, IL-6), sICAM-1, and CRP in hypercholesterolemic patients compared to diet alone.
  • Statin-induced inhibition of inflammatory markers likely contributes to their beneficial effects in cardiovascular diseases.
Abstract

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