Article date: December 2010
By: Sharon M. L. Wallace, Kaisa M. Mäki‐Petäjä, Joseph Cheriyan, Edward H. Davidson, Lynne Cherry, Carmel M. McEniery, Naveed Sattar, Ian B. Wilkinson, Rajesh K. Kharbanda, in Volume 70, Issue 6, pages 799-806
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT
AIMS
The aim of this study was to determine whether simvastatin would protect against inflammation‐induced aortic stiffening and endothelial dysfunction.
METHODS
Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) and flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD) were assessed three times, at baseline, after a 14 day administration of simvastatin or placebo and 8 h after Salmonella typhi vaccination in 50 healthy subjects.
RESULTS
Following vaccination there was a significant increase in aPWV in the placebo group (5.80 ± 0.87 vs. 6.21 ± 0.97 m s−1, 95% CI 0.19, 0.62, P= 0.002) but not the simvastatin group (5.68 ± 0.73 vs. 5.72 ± 0.74 m s−1, 95% CI −0.19, 0.27, P= 0.9; P= 0.016 for comparison). Whereas FMD response was reduced in the placebo group (6.77 ± 4.10 vs. 5.27 ± 2.88%, 95% CI −2.49, −0.52, P= 0.02) but not in the simvastatin group (7.07 ± 4.37 vs. 7.17 ± 9.94%, 95% CI −1.1, 1.3. P= 0.9, P < 0.001 for comparison). There was no difference in the systemic inflammatory response between groups following vaccination. However, there was a significant reduction in serum apolipoprotein A‐I (Apo A‐I) in the placebo, but not in the simvastatin, group.
CONCLUSIONS
Simvastatin prevents vaccination‐induced aortic stiffening and endothelial dysfunction. This protective mechanism may be due to preservation of the Apo A‐I lipid fraction, rather than pleiotropic anti‐inflammatory effects of statins.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2010.03745.x
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