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Effect of statins on soluble CD40 ligand in hypercholesterolemic Type 2 diabetic patients

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Abstract

Hypercholesterolemia and Type 2 diabetes are well-recognized risk factors for cardiovascular disease, promoted by a condition of subclinical inflammation and a hypercoagulable state. Soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L), a marker of vascular inflammation, seems to predict vascular damage in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Beside the lipid-low-ering effect, statins seem to slow the progression of atherosclerosis through a series of anti-inflammatory effects, including a reduction of sCD40L levels. This study compared the effect of a short-term (12 weeks) treatment with rosuvastatin or simvastatin on some markers of inflammation in 36 patients with Type 2 diabetes and moderate hypercholesterolemia. As expected, both drugs significantly modified lipid profile; moreover, rosuvastatin and simvastatin were both able to significantly reduce albumin excretion rate in these patients, without affecting urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase. Serum homocysteine was not influenced by the treatment, as interleukin-6 levels, while C reactive protein diminished; moreover, rosuvastatin, but not simvastatin, was able to significantly reduce sCD40L. The only clinical parameter related with the variations in sCD40L was systolic blood pressure. In hypercholesterolemic Type 2 diabetic patients, sCD40L, a factor playing a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and associated with more rupture-prone lesions, is reduced by short-term treatment with rosuvastatin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 1-56100, Pisa, Italy

    E. Santini, S. Madec, V. Corretti, E. Ferrannini & A. Solini MD, PhD

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  1. E. Santini
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  2. S. Madec
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  3. V. Corretti
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  4. E. Ferrannini
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Correspondence to A. Solini MD, PhD.

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Santini, E., Madec, S., Corretti, V. et al. Effect of statins on soluble CD40 ligand in hypercholesterolemic Type 2 diabetic patients. J Endocrinol Invest 31, 660–665 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03345621

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