title: Fluvastatin improves endothelial dysfunction in overweight postmenopausal women through small dense low-density lipoprotein reduction.
abstract: Small dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL), which are often associated with obesity, are considered as the most atherogenic and have been shown to impair endothelial function. It is not known whether reduction of sdLDL by pharmacological intervention can improve endothelial function. Thirty-four consecutive postmenopausal women with >/=5.70 mmol/L total cholesterol were placed into either an overweight (body mass index [BMI] >/= 25.0, n = 22) or a normal-weight (BMI < 25.0, n = 12) group, and forearm blood flow (FBF) was measured using strain-gauge plethysmography during reactive hyperemia before and after fluvastatin treatment. At baseline, the peak FBF during reactive hyperemia in the overweight group was less than that in the normal-weight group (mean +/- SD, 13.6 +/- 4.4 v 22.2 +/- 4.0 mL/min/100 mL, P <.01). The maximal FBF after nitroglycerin was similar in both groups. In the stepwise multiple regression analysis, only the concentration of sdLDL was the predictor for peak FBF (standard coefficient = -0.517, P =.0115). The nonsignificant parameters for the correlations in the model were age, BMI, systolic blood pressure, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)), and LDL-cholesterol. Fluvastatin treatment was associated with the recovery of the peak FBF in the overweight group but it did not influence that of the normal-weight group. Changes in sdLDL fractions by fluvastatin correlated well with the peak FBF recovery. These results suggested that an increased sdLDL was linked to endothelial dysfunction in overweight postmenopausal women and fluvastatin treatment improved endothelial dysfunction by decreasing the atherogenic sdLDL fraction in this population.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimabukuro
authors.forename: Namio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Higa
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asahi
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oshiro
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takasu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D000077340:Fluvastatin; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006940:Hyperemia / Q000378:metabolism; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010316:Particle Size; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D007211:Indoles; D008055:Lipids; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D000077340:Fluvastatin; D002784:Cholesterol