The effect of pitavastatin calcium on endothelial dysfunction induced by hypercholesterolemia

To investigate whether endothelial function can be improved by the treatment of pitavastatin calcium via its antioxidant properties in hypercholesteremia patients.

Forty patients with hypercholesteremia were randomized to receive pitavastatin calcium 1 or 2 mg/day for 8 weeks. Among them, four people were lost in the follow-up period. Before and after treatment, clinical and biochemical characteristics, markers of oxidative stress (plasma 8-iso-prostaglandin F(2α) and serum gp91phox) were determined and concomitantly endothelium-dependent brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured by ultrasound examination. Thirty healthy subjects were chosen as controls.

For individuals with hypercholesteremia, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and serum gp91phox were significantly increased (p<0.001 for all) and plasma 8-iso-prostaglandinF2α (8-iso-PGF2α) was significantly higher (p<0.05), while FMD was obviously impaired (p<0.001). Total cholesterol, LDL-C and serum gp91phox were significantly reduced (p<0.001 for all), plasma 8-iso-PGF2α was lower and FMD was significantly improved after pitavastatin calcium treatment compared with those before treatment in any group (p<0.05 for both). However, there was no significant difference between the 1-mg and 2-mg pitavastatin calcium groups post-therapy.

Endothelial dysfunction induced by hypercholesteremia can be ameliorated by pitavastatin calcium treatment, which occurs in part through its antioxidative properties.