[The pleiotropic effects of statins]

Abstract

Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) are the most commonly used lipid lowering drugs. Recent experimental evidence suggest that these agents appear to display additional cholesterol independent or pleiotropic effects, contributing to prevention and inhibition of atherosclerosis. In addition, clinical trials have demonstrated different effects of statins on diseases that are not directly related to accelerated atherosclerosis. The statins' vascular pleiotropic effects include improvement of endothelial function, slowing the inflammation process, inhibition of the thrombus formation, enhancement of plaque stability and decreasing oxidative stress. Clinical benefits were observed with statins therapy for cardiovascular diseases - ischemic heart disease, cerebral vascular accidents and peripheral vascular disease. Lately, clinical trials have suggested their role in Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, malignant diseases, osteoporosis, chronic renal diseases, transplantations, macular degeneration and autoimmune diseases. The objective of this review is to summarize the data related to the pleiotropic effects of the statin drugs, beyond their lipid lowering effect.