Statins: pleiotropic regulators of cardiovascular redox state

Lipid-lowering treatment with statins is one of the most effective therapeutic strategies in cardiovascular medicine because they reduce cardiovascular risk in both primary and secondary prevention. Despite the well-established links between low-density lipoprotein and cardiovascular risk, the clinical benefit from statin treatment is not fully explained by their lipid-lowering potential. A number of pleiotropic effects of statins have been described over the past decade, and their ability to suppress global oxidative stress is probably one of the most important mechanisms by which they exert their beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. In this Forum, there are review articles discussing the molecular mechanisms by which statins modify redox signaling in the vasculature and the heart. They exert direct effects on the vascular wall and the myocardium or indirect by targeting the interactions between the cardiovascular system and adipose tissue or circulating cell types. The review articles in this Forum follow a translational approach and link the molecular mechanisms by which statins modify cardiovascular redox signaling with their clinical benefit in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.