Platelet deposition on eroded vessel walls at a stenotic shear rate is inhibited by lipid-lowering treatment with atorvastatin

Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase are widely us ed in the treatment of dyslipemias and have shown beneficial effects in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, regr ession studies with lipid-lowering drugs have not shown significant lesion reduction associated with the improvement in clinical events. Therefore, ou r objective has been to study whether treatment with a lipid-lowering drug of this family, atorvastatin, could reduce platelet deposition on the damag ed vessel wall at different shear stress conditions, simultaneously with re tardation of the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Using cholesterol- fed swine as the model, we found that atorvastatin significantly diminished platelet deposition on the mildly damaged vessel wall at high shear rates (50%, P<0.01), but it did not have any effect in preventing platelet deposi tion triggered by a severely injured vessel wall. Development of coronary l esions was also reduced by treatment. These findings suggest that atorvasta tin may prevent platelet attachment to eroded vessels and hence, contribute to reducing the thrombotic risk associated with the erosions of the lumina l surface and the platelet-dependent progression of atherosclerotic plaques .