title: Effect of statin therapy on serum trace element status in dyslipidaemic subjects.
abstract: Patients previously not treated with a lipid-lowering agent (n = 20; mean age 49.15 +/- 3.28 years) were treated with either 10 mg/day of Simvastatin (n = 11), or Atorvastatin (n = 9) for 4 months. Fourteen additional patients were recruited from the same clinic at the same hospital as a control group. The medication of these latter patients was unaltered for 4 months and the same parameters were measured as for the statin groups. Serum concentrations of zinc, copper, caeruloplasmin, selenium, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured together with their lipid profiles pre- and post-treatment. In addition to reducing serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (p < 0.0001), statin treatment was associated with a significant reduction in mean serum zinc (9%, p = 0.03), copper (9%, p < 0.01), caeruloplasmin (24%, p < 0.05), and median CRP (45%, p < 0.03). Similar changes were not observed in the control patients. No significant effects were observed for serum selenium, copper/caeruloplasmin ratio, or GPx (p > 0.05) in either statin or control groups. These changes may be related to the known anti-inflammatory properties of the statin class of drugs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Science & Measurement, School of Biomedical & Molecular Science, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghayour-Mobarhan
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lamb
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Nandita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vaidya
authors.forename: Callum
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Livingstone
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gordon A A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ferns
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D002570:Ceruloplasmin / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008055:Lipids; D011758:Pyrroles; D014131:Trace Elements; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D019821:Simvastatin; D002570:Ceruloplasmin