title: The effect of aggressive rosuvastatin treatment on steroid hormone production in men with coronary artery disease.
abstract: Most steroid hormones are produced from cholesterol contained in low-density lipoproteins, which is uptaken by the gonads and adrenal cortex, and used as a substrate for steroidogenesis. Theoretically, in states associated with very low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, cholesterol conversion to steroid hormones may be impaired. The study included 15 men with coronary artery disease, in whom initial statin treatment had been unsuccessful and therefore was replaced with rosuvastatin (20-40 mg daily). Although in 11 patients, rosuvastatin decreased plasma LDL cholesterol levels to below 70 mg/dL, the drug only moderately reduced testosterone levels and increased gonadotropin levels, as well as insignificantly increased plasma ACTH levels. Aggressive rosuvastatin treatment did not affect plasma cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels, and urine free cortisol. Our results suggest that intensive rosuvastatin treatment is associated with only small changes in adrenal and testicular steroidogenesis.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Krysiak
authors: Boguslaw
authors: B
authors: Okopien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013449:Sulfonamides; D014280:Triglycerides; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium