title: Lovastatin for reduction of leptin in nondialysis patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) is one of the main complications of diabetes mellitus, mostly ending to end-stage renal disease. Leptin and C-reactive protein (CRP), as inflammatory markers implicated in the progression of DN, increase in diabetes mellitus, while transferrin and albumin, as members of anti-oxidant defense mechanism, are found to decline.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a controlled clinical trial, 65 patients with type 2 DN were assigned to receive lovastatin or placebo, for 3 months, to assess statins' impact on serum levels of leptin, CRP, transferrin, albumin, and lipid profile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of CRP (3.52 +/- 4.16 mg/dL to 2.84 +/- 3.06 mg/dL, P = .02), leptin (10.78 +/- 8.30 mg/dL to 7.80 +/- 5.41 mg/dL, P = .006), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (116.16 +/- 46.54 mg/dL to 85.46 +/- 29.22 mg/dL, P = .001), and total cholesterol (199.00 +/- 43.33 mg/dL to 164.67 +/- 35.19 mg/dL, P = .001) were lowered after lovastatin therapy. Mean serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased (40.00 mg/dL to 42.80 mg/dL, P = .005) after the treatment. Lovastatin had no significant effect on albumin and transferrin. Placebo did not change any of the parameters after 3 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effect of statins on the inflammatory markers involved in the development of DN is a new approach to evidence supporting the pleiotropic effect of this drug group.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA and Clinical Research and Development Center, Shahid Modarres Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Sharar@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Sharareh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gholamin
authors.forename: Seyed-Mostafa
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Razavi
authors.forename: Seyed-Meghdad
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Taghavi-Garmestani
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghorbanihaghjo
authors.forename: Nadereh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rashtchizadeh
authors.forename: Javid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Safa
authors.forename: Amir Mansour
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vatankhah
authors.forename: Tabassom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Azizi
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Argani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D020738:Leptin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D008148:Lovastatin