title: Simvastatin therapy reduces prooxidant-antioxidant balance: results of a placebo-controlled cross-over trial.
abstract: Oxidative stress is thought to play an important role in atherogenesis. The statin group of cholesterol-lowering drugs have been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and possess antioxidant properties. We aimed to assess the effects of simvastatin on a novel measure of prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) in dyslipidemic patients. The PAB assay can measure the prooxidant burden and the antioxidant capacity simultaneously in one assay, thereby giving a redox index. We treated 102 dyslipidemic individuals with simvastatin, or a placebo in a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled trial. PAB values were measured before and after each treatment period. Seventy-seven subjects completed the study. We found that statin therapy was associated with a significant reduction in PAB values (P < 0.001). This effect appeared to be independent of the cholesterol-lowering effects of statins. We conclude that serum PAB values are decreased by simvastatin therapy. Regarding previous reports on the elevation of PAB in conditions associated with oxidative stress, the PAB assay, along with other markers of oxidative stress, may be applied to estimate the extent of oxidative stress in patients, assessment of the antioxidative efficacy of medication such as statins and perhaps also for the identification of those individuals who need antioxidant therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyyed M R
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Parizadeh
authors.forename: Mahmoud R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Azarpazhooh
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moohebati
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nematy
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghayour-Mobarhan
authors.forename: Shima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tavallaie
authors.forename: Amir A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Rahsepar
authors.forename: Maral
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amini
authors.forename: Amirhossein
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahebkar
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.forename: Gordon A A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ferns
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010919:Placebos; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D010919:Placebos; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D019821:Simvastatin