Inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine production by pravastatin

Abstract

Reduction in cardiovascular events with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase inhibitors (HMG-CoA RIs) has been attributed to their anti-inflammatory properties, 1 Rosenson RS Tangney CC Anti-atherothrombotic properties of statins: implications for cardiovascular event reduction. JAMA. 1998; 279: 1643-1650 Crossref PubMed Scopus (976) Google Scholar and these agents lower a non-specific inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein. 2 Strandberg TE Vanhanen H Tikkanen MJ Effet of statins on C-reactive protein in patients with coronary artery disease. Lancet. 1999; 353: 118-119 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (195) Google Scholar Macrophages and T lymphocytes interact with endothelial cells and release cytokines which regulate vascular tone, plaque stability, and thrombogenesis. We investigated whether pravastatin modified production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.