The impact of early administration of low-dose atorvastatin treatment on inflammatory process, in patients with unstable angina and low cholesterol level.
BACKGROUND
Lipid-lowering agents are known to reduce long-term mortality in patients with stable angina or multiple risk factors. However, the effects of lipid-lowering treatment on inflammatory process during and immediately after the acute phase of unstable angina remain unclear. In this study we assessed the effects of low-dose atorvastatin treatment, on inflammatory process in patients admitted for unstable angina with low cholesterol level.


METHODS
Forty-seven normocholesterolemic patients with unstable angina were randomized into two groups, and received atorvastatin 10 mg/day (n = 24) or no statin (n = 23) for 6 weeks. Circulating levels of inteleukin 6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) were measured by their admission, and at the 1st and 6th week of the study.


RESULTS
Serum levels of MCP-1 and sVCAM-1 were significantly increased in the control group (p < 0.05) while remained unaffected in the atorvastatin-treated group six weeks after admission. However, IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were similarly decreased in both atorvastatin-treated and control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Low-dose atorvastatin treatment modifies inflammatory process in patients with unstable angina and low cholesterol level, an effect seen at 6 weeks but not 1 week after admission.
Cardiology Unit, Hippokration Hospital, Athens University Medical School, 69 S. Karagiorga, 16675, Glifada, Athens, Greece. tousouli@med.uoa.gr
Dimitris
D
Tousoulis
Charalambos
C
Antoniades
Vasiliki
V
Katsi
Erini
E
Bosinakou
Maria
M
Kotsopoulou
Costas
C
Tsioufis
Christodoulos
C
Stefanadis
D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011758:Pyrroles; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D002784:Cholesterol; D000069059:Atorvastatin