In a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial involving 12 men with the metabolic syndrome, Ooi et al. tested the effect of two doses of rosuvastatin on specific markers of HDL metabolism. Two therapeutic periods of 5 weeks were performed with 10 mg/day of rosuvastatin and 40 mg/day of rosuvastatin. Treatment periods were separated by a 2 week placebo washout period. A significant dose-response relationship was observed on HDL cholesterol concentrations, HDL particle size (estimated by the ratio of HDL cholesterol to apo AI and apo AII), and HDL particles containing apo AI (LpA-I). Increases in LpA-1 concentrations were dose-dependently associated with reductions of triglyceride levels, CETP activity, and LpA-1 fractional catabolic rate, but not with changes in LpA-1 production rates. This paper not only provides evidence that rosuvastatin affects HDL metabolism but also suggests that several mechanisms are involved to explain its HDL raising properties in men with the metabolic syndrome.
Documentation centre