Pravastatin therapy increases procollagen IN-terminal propeptide (PINP), amarker of bone formation in post-menopausal women

Background: The aim of our study was to evaluate whether pravastatin treatm ent affected biochemical markers of bone turnover. Methods: Thirty-six hype rcholesterolemic post-menopausal women, not on hormonal replacement therapy , were selected from a population study evaluating factors affecting choles terol response to pravastatin. After a 6-week period on a 30% fat diet, par ticipants received treatment with 20 mg/day of pravastatin during a 16-week follow-up period. Pre- and post-treatment samples were analyzed for procol lagen I aminoterminal peptide (PINP) and bone alkaline phosphatase (bAP) as markers of bone formation, carboxyterminal telopeptide of collagen I (CTX) as a marker of bone resorption, and procollagen III aminoterminal propepti de (PIIINP) as a marker of fibrogenesis. Results: Total cholesterol decreas ed from 7.26 +/- 0.83 to 6.1 +/- 0.77 mmol/l with pravastatin treatment. PI NP levels significantly increased (from 33.6 +/- 13 to 37.4 +/- 16, p = 0.0 3) without changes in bAP or CTX. Individual changes in PINP correlated wit h individual reduction in cholesterol levels (r = 0.337, p = 0.04). There w as no significant change in PIIINP concentration. Conclusions: Pravastatin treatment increased PINP levels, a marker of bone formation, in hypercholes terolemic, post-menopausal women, without affecting bone resorption. PIIINP concentration, a marker of liver fibrogenesis, was not affected by tee tre atment. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.