Short-term effects of atorvastatin on bone turnover in male patients with hypercholesterolemia.
No consensus has been reached on whether the 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, known as statins, have beneficial effects on bone health. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin on bone metabolism by means of measuring bone turnover markers in male patients with hypercholesterolemia both at diagnosis and prospectively after 3 months of treatment. Twenty-two Japanese male patients (mean age 62.36 +/- 10.1 years) with untreated hypercholesterolaemeia were selected for this study. After 3-months treatment of atorvastatin, total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly decreased as expected (p<0.001 for both parameters). Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) did not change significantly (p = 0.444). However, serum N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx) significantly decreased by -19.86 +/- 26.4% (p = 0.020). In addition, delta NTx during the course of this study was negatively correlated with NTx at baseline (r = -0.645, p = 0.0008). Although there was a tendency of positive correlations of delta NTx with delta total cholesterol, delta triglycerides, and delta low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and of negative correlations of delta NTx and delta BAP with delta high density lipoprotein cholesterol, none of them reached statistical significance. Our findings suggest that atorvastatin may have potentially beneficial effects on bone metabolism in patients with hypercholesterolemia mostly by reducing bone resorption rather than by stimulating bone formation. Further studies with more patients and longer duration are warranted to evaluate its effects, if any, on prevention of osteoporosis and subsequent fractures.
Majima
Takafumi
T
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Rakuwakai Otowa Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.
Komatsu
Yasato
Y
Fukao
Atsushi
A
Ninomiya
Kiyoshi
K
Matsumura
Tadashi
T
Nakao
Kazuwa
K
D000368:Aged; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000097:blood; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D024042:Collagen Type I; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D010455:Peptides; D011758:Pyrroles; C052929:collagen type I trimeric cross-linked peptide; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase