The influence of treatment of hypercholesterolemic patients with simvastatin on plasma chemotactic activity and adherence of neutrophils

Background: there is some evidence to indicate that statins may affect the function of immune and inflammatory cells. This study investigates the infl uence of short term treatment with simvastatin on plasma chemotactic activi ty and adherence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in hypercholesterolemic p atients. Methods and results: 20 hypercholesterolemic patients (250-400 mg/ dl) were given simvastatin (20 mg daily for 12 weeks). Peripheral blood sam ples were taken before and after 4 and 12 weeks of the therapy. The percent age of neutrophils adhering to plastic surface coated with albumin was sign ificantly higher when cells were incubated with plasma obtained after 12 we eks of treatment with simvastatin in comparison with plasma collected befor e the therapy (unstimulated neutrophils: 5.945+/-0.475% vs. 8.155+/-0.96%, P=0.0477, stimulated neutrophils: 39.09+/-4.540% vs. 29.18+/-3.702%, P=0.03 2). There was a significant negative correlation between adherence of stimu lated neutrophils and total cholesterol levels ((r)= -0.2796, 95% CI -0.499 9 to -0.02526, r(2)=0.07817, P=0.032). Migration of neutrophils towards pla sma obtained after 12 weeks of treatment with simvastatin was significantly higher than towards plasma collected before the therapy (7.038+/-1.127 vs. 4.505+/-0 618 P=0.0475). Conclusion: treatment of hypercholesterolemic pat ients with simvastatin increases the chemotactic activity of plasma and aug ments the adherence of human neutrophils. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.