Antiplatelet and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Statins and Ezetimibe

Introduction

Among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), a robust evidence base supports the beneficial effects of statin therapy on mortality and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes . Recently, two large trials , have demonstrated that compared to standard dose statin therapy, high statin doses reduced Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) to extremely low levels and decreased coronary events, even in patients with normal levels of Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C). Subsequently, recent guidelines have suggested an Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) treatment goal of \<70 mg/dL in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Achieving such low Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) levels frequently demands an intensive Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) reduction, often above 50%. Ezetimibe, an intestinal cholesterol absorption inhibitor, can be used as an additional therapy if statin monotherapy fails to reduce Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) below the treatment goal.

Furthermore, anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic pleiotropic effects of statins might explain, at least in part, the large benefits demonstrated in randomized trials , . For example, in hypercholesterolemic patients treated with statins, a decrease in inflammation-associated markers such as the C-reactive protein (CRP) has been described , although it is debated whether this effect is clearly independent of Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C).

Moreover, although inhibition of platelets by statin therapy is a well established effect , , it has not yet been clarified whether platelet inhibition by statin therapy depends on the reduction of Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) or on the inhibition of intracellular signal pathways accompanied by disaggregating effects.

Two alternative pharmacologic strategies are equally effective in reducing Low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C): high-dose statin alone and combined treatment with ezetimibe plus moderate-dose statin . It is not known whether these two strategies have different cholesterol-independent pleiotropic effects on inflammation and platelets. We therefore compared the anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet effects of two intensive pharmacologic strategies to reduce cholesterol: 80 mg of simvastatin (S80) versus 10 mg ezetimibe/ 20 mg of simvastatin (E10/S20). Anti-inflammatory effects were assessed by performing serial measurements of the following biomarkers: C-Reactive Protein (CRP), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, oxidized Low-density lipoprotein-C (oxLDL), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM)-1. Platelet aggregation was also compared between the two strategies.