Simvastatin exerts its anti-inflammatory effect in hypercholesterolaemic patients by decreasing the serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1

Aim To assess the effect of simvastatin on serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, macrophage colony stimulating factor, C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A in hypercholesterolaemic patients without coronary heart disease. Methods Sixty consecutive hypercholesterolaemic patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 process to 40 mg of simvastatin daily (n = 40) and to hypolipidaemic only diet (n = 20) for 3 months. Blood was taken at baseline and at the end of the study and analysed for lipids and inflammatory markers. Results From the inflammatory markers only MCP-1 was decreased significantly (217.4 ± 48 versus 177 ± 75 pg/ml, p < 0.001) after treatment with simvastatin and this reduction was independent of lipid changes. Conclusion Simvastatin significantly decreases only MCP-1 levels in hypercholesterolaemic patients suggesting that this molecule is probably a sensitive marker to detect the anti-inflammatory effect of simvastatin in blood.