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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2005 Aug;36(8):1796-800.
doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000174289.34110.b0. Epub 2005 Jul 14.

Intensive treatment with atorvastatin reduces inflammation in mononuclear cells and human atherosclerotic lesions in one month

Jose Luis Martín-Ventura  1 , Luis Miguel Blanco-Colio, Almudena Gómez-Hernández, Begoña Muñoz-García, Melina Vega, Javier Serrano, Luis Ortega, Gonzalo Hernández, José Tuñón, Jesús Egido
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Intensive treatment with atorvastatin reduces inflammation in mononuclear cells and human atherosclerotic lesions in one month

Jose Luis Martín-Ventura et al. Stroke. 2005 Aug.

Abstract

Background and purpose: To investigate the effect of short-term high-dose atorvastatin on blood and plaque inflammation in patients with carotid stenosis.

Methods: Twenty patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy without previous statin treatment were randomized to receive either atorvastatin 80 mg/d (n=11) or no statins (n=9) for 1 month. We studied inflammatory mediators in plasma (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs; quantitative RT-PCR and EMSA) and plaques (immunohistochemistry and Southwestern histochemistry).

Results: Atorvastatin significantly decreased total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and prostaglandin E2 plasma levels. PBMCs from treated patients showed impaired NF-kappaB activation and MCP-1 and COX-2 mRNA expression. Carotid atherosclerotic plaques demonstrated a significant reduction in macrophage infiltration, activated NF-kappaB, and COX-2 and MCP-1 expression.

Conclusions: Intensive treatment with atorvastatin decreases inflammatory activity of PBMCs and carotid atherosclerotic plaques in 1 month. These data strongly suggest that the antiinflammatory effect of high doses of statins in humans can be seen very early.

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