Via practica 5/2007

IMMUNOMODULATORY EFFECTS OF STATINS

Statins – 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutary-CoA reductase inhibitors (HMG-Co reductase) represent most frequent used drugs with lipid lowering effects and have been shown to reduce atherosclerosis related cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In addition, statins therapy exerts multiple, hypolipidemic non – dependent-pleiotropic effects based on the inhibition of important intermediates of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, that regulates several cellular processes, including immune activation. Anti-iflammatory and immunomodulatory effects are manifested by lowering of C reactive protein and cytokine (IL-6, IL-8) levels, inhibition of adhesion molecules expressions (LFA, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 etc.), decreasing of HLA class II proteins expression and T cell activation, respectively. Statins polarized Th1/Th2 ratio in favour of Th2 immune response and therefore statins could be beneficial for treatment of several inflammmatory disorders (sclerosis multiplex, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus)

Keywords: statins, immunomodulatory effects, pleiotropic effects.