Effect of intensive rosuvastatin therapy on adhesion molecules and the upstream mechanism in patients with peripheral atherosclerosis / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of intensive rosuvastatin therapy on adhesion molecules in patients with peripheral atherosclerosis and explore the possible upstream mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty asymptomatic patients with peripheral atherosclerosis were enrolled and given 5-20 mg/day rosuvastatin for 3 months. Before and after the treatment, the lipid profile and plasma vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) levels were examined. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the mononuclear cells was measured using flow cytometry, and the mRNA and protein expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the baseline levels, ICAM-1 expression decreased and PPARγ protein expression increased in the lymphocytes. Rosuvastatin therapy did not produce obvious effects on plasma VCAM-1 level or ICAM-1 expression in the monocytes in these patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Rosuvastatin produces anti-inflammatory effects by decreasing the expression of ICAM-1 in mononuclear cells, and its upstream mechanism may involve the PPARγ pathway.</p>