Probucol and Atorvastatin Decrease Urinary 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in Patients with Diabetes and Hypercholesterolemia

To clarify whether probucol and statins suppress oxidative stress in diabetic patients, we studied the effects of probucol and the statin atorvastatin on urinary 8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in diabetics with hypercholesterolemia. A randomized, open study was performed on a total of 36 patients with type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. The patients were randomly assigned to a probucol group (500 mg/day, n = 18) or an atorvastatin group (10 mg/day, n = 18). During three months, total- and LDL-cholesterol decreased significantly in both groups. LDL-cholesterol was significantly lower in the atorvastatin group than probucol group. HDL-C decreased significantly in the probucol group and did not change in the atorvastatin group. 8-OHdG decreased significantly in both groups after 3 months; 12.4 +/- 7.5 to 8.1 +/- 4.2 ng/mg/Cr in the atorvastatin group (p < 0.05) and 12.3 +/- 8.8 to 6.8 +/- 2.6 ng/mg/Cr in the probucol group (p < 0.05), and these changes did not differ significantly between the two groups. But, in patients with high 8-OHdG levels (more than 10 ng/mg/Cr) before administration, urinary 8-OHdG decreased significantly from 19.5 +/- 4.9 to 9.2 +/- 3.4 ng/mg Cr (p < 0.01) in the atorvastatin group, and from 19.7 +/- 8.2 to 6.67 +/- 2.2 ng/mg Cr (p < 0.01) in the probucol group. Urinary 8-OHdG was significantly lower in the probucol group than in the atorvastatin group after the second and third months of administration (p < 0.05). These results suggest that while probucol and atorvastatin both reduce systemic oxidative stress, probucol might be the more useful in patients with strong oxidative stress.