Effects of 4 Weeks of Atorvastatin Administration on the Antiinflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-10 in Patients with Unstable Angina (Technical Briefs‪)‬

Atherosclerosis is currently considered a chronic inflammatory disease of the vessel wall. Systemic markers of inflammation have been shown to be of significant prognostic relevance for assessing the risk of atherosclerotic disease progression (1-4). Previous data showed that proinflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), play an important role in acute coronary events (5-7) and that decreased plasma concentrations of antiinflammatory cytokines, for example, interleukin-10 (IL-10) were also associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (8-10). Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, represent a well-established class of drugs that effectively lower serum cholesterol concentrations and are widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease (11-13). In addition to their cholesterol-lowering activity, statins have been demonstrated to possess pleiotropic effects, including antunflammatory effects (14-17). Results obtained in numerous investigations have suggested that administration of statins could modify concentrations of CRP and other proinflammatory cytokines with a concurrent decrease in cardiovascular events. However, the potential influence of statins on the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-10 in patients with ACS has not been investigated.