title: The Pleiotropic Effects of Atorvastatin on Stable Angina Patients: Evidence by Analysis of High-Density Lipoprotein Size and Subclasses, and Plasma mRNA.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High-density lipoproteins (HDL) have athero-protective biological properties: antioxidative, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and they have the efflux capacity of cellular cholesterol. Plasma mRNA analysis can be used to investigate statin pleiotropyin vivoas a new analytical tool for non-invasive assessment of gene expression in vascular beds. The aim of this study was to assess the pleiotropic effects of atorvastatin in stable angina patients with high-risk values (group A) as compared with patients who had borderline and desirable HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) values (group B).
  
  
  METHODS
  The atorvastatin therapy (20 mg/day) was given to forty-three patients with stable angina for 10 weeks. We investigated three statin pleiotropy-targeted genes: inter-cellular adhesion molecule-1, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 and cathepsin S and assessed by gel electrophoresis gradient the effects of atorvastatin on HDL size and subclasses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In group A, after therapy, HDL-C concentration was significantly increased but not in group B. Atorvastatin lowered plasma chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 mRNA levels in both groups, but did not change the plasma cathepsin S mRNA levels. In group A only, baseline total bilirubin showed negative correlations with the genes of cathepsin S (r=-0.506; p=0.023) and significantly increased after therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HDL-C and bilirubin can be promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Analysis of cell-free mRNA in plasma might become a useful tool for estimating statin pleiotropy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Clinical Centre Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Bosa
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mirjanić-Azarić
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Zorana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jelić-Ivanović
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeljković
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vekić
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jürgens
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty, University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Milivojac
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Clinical Centre Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avram
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clinical Center, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Jozo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ćorić
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Janja
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marc
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Darko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Černe
keywords: atorvastatin; bilirubin; cathepsin S; high-density lipoprotein subclasses; mRNA in plasma