title: Effects of statins on serum n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios in patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A low n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ratio is reported to be associated with cardiovascular events. However, the effects of statins on this ratio have not been fully examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 101 patients with coronary artery disease, who were not receiving lipid-lowering therapy were randomly assigned to receive either 4 mg/day of pitavastatin or 20 mg/day of pravastatin. Serum PUFA levels were measured at baseline and 8 months after treatment with statins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pitavastatin was used to treat 51 patients and the remaining 50 patients were treated using pravastatin. A significant positive correlation was observed between the percent change in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and that in dihomogamma-linolenic acid (r = .376, P = .007), arachidonic acid (AA; r = .316, P = .02), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; r = .408, P = .003), or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; r = .270, P = .056) in the pitavastatin group. However, these correlations were not observed in the pravastatin group. The DHA/AA ratio decreased significantly in the pitavastatin group only (from 0.96 to 0.83, P = .0002) and the DHA/AA ratio was significantly lower in the pitavastatin group at 8 months (0.83 vs 0.96, P = .03). The EPA/AA ratio did not show significant changes in either group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pitavastatin decreased the serum DHA/AA ratio, whereas pravastatin had no effect on this ratio. Neither pitavastatin nor pravastatin had an effect on the serum EPA/AA ratio in patients with coronary artery disease.
authors: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yokohama Sakae Kyosai Hospital, Yokohama, Japan. nozue2493@yahoo.co.jp
authors: Tsuyoshi
authors: T
authors: Nozue
authors: Shingo
authors: S
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Shinichi
authors: S
authors: Tohyama
authors: Kazuki
authors: K
authors: Fukui
authors: Shigeo
authors: S
authors: Umezawa
authors: Yuko
authors: Y
authors: Onishi
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Kunishima
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Sato
authors: Toshihiro
authors: T
authors: Nozato
authors: Shogo
authors: S
authors: Miyake
authors: Youichi
authors: Y
authors: Takeyama
authors: Yoshihiro
authors: Y
authors: Morino
authors: Takao
authors: T
authors: Yamauchi
authors: Toshiya
authors: T
authors: Muramatsu
authors: Kiyoshi
authors: K
authors: Hibi
authors: Ichiro
authors: I
authors: Michishita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood*; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011804:Quinolines; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D017035:Pravastatin; C108475:pitavastatin
keywords: coronary artery disease; polyunsaturated fatty acids; statin