Short-term effects of lovastatin therapy on proteinuria of type 2 diabetic nephropathy: A clinical trial study.
BACKGROUND
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is characterized by albuminuria, hypertension, and a progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A is a well-known agent that is active in lowering total plasma and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in cases with hypercholesterolemia. Hence, in this study, proteinuria changes at the beginning and after the withdrawal of lovastatin in patients with type 2 DN (T2DN) were studied.


METHODS
Lovastatin was administered for thirty male patients with T2DN and then was withdrawn. Twenty-four hours, urine creatinine and protein levels were determined.


RESULTS
The mean levels of total cholesterol and LDL-C were reduced without any change in the triglyceride (TG) level while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level was increased. There was a reverse linear correlation between the changes in the level of HDL-C and the changes in the level of 24 h urine protein after 90 days of lovastatin therapy (P= 0.007,r= -0.484).


CONCLUSIONS
Short-term 3-month lovastatin therapy has no effect on proteinuria levels in patients with T2DN despite the antihyperlipidemic effects and reverse correlation of proteinuria with HDL-C.
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Alireza
A
Sadighi
Department of Nephrology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Javid
J
Safa
Neuroscience Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Amir-Mansour
AM
Vatankhah
Young Researchers Club, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.
Sona
S
Ghorashi
Department of Biology, Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Aida
A
Aharilahagh
Department of Nephrology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Sina
S
Davari-Farid
Department of Internal Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Golestan, Iran.
Ourmaan
O
Nezami-Nargabad
Medical Philosophy and History Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Mohammad
M
Naghavi-Behzad
Students' Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Reza
R
Piri
Department of Internal Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Parinaz
P
Pishahang
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Savalan
S
Babapoor-Farrokhran
Medical Philosophy and History Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Sanam
S
Fakour
Medical Philosophy and History Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Nastaran
N
Ghodratnezhad-Azar
Diabetes type 2; nephropathy; proteinuria; statin