Pleiotropic Effects of Statins

Abstract

In the last decades, substantial progress has been made in understanding the relationship between lipid disorders and the prevention of cardiac ischemic disease. The identification of new therapeutic targets and new lipid-modifying agents expands treatment options. Statins have been described as the principal and most effective class of drugs to reduce serum cholesterol levels and cardiovascular events in patients with or without coronary artery disease. Since the discovery of the first statin nearly 30 years ago, this class of drugs has advanced to become the mainstay of cholesterol-lowering therapy. It was found during recent years that many of statins, positive effects could not be explained simply by lowering of atherogenic lipids. There were shown also to exist non-lipid-modifiable effects of statins called pleiotropic ones, which could be responsible for this additional benefit. The most important positive pleiotropic effects of statins are antiinflammatory, antiproliferative, and antithrombotic ones, improving endothelial dysfunction and others.