Short-Term Treatment With Atorvastatin Reduces Platelet CD40 Ligand and Thrombin Generation in Hypercholesterolemic Patients

BACKGROUND: Soluble CD40L (sCD40L), a substance that maximally reflects in vivo platelet activation, is increased in patients with hypercholesterolemia. We investigated the relation between sCD40L and platelet CD4OL in hypercholesterolemic patients before and after a short-term treatment with atorvastatin. METHODS AND RESULTS: Collagen-induced platelet CD40L and plasma levels of sCD40L and prothrombin fragment F1+2, a marker of thrombin generation, were investigated in 30 hypercholesterolemic patients and 20 healthy subjects. Hypercholesterolemic patients were then randomized to either diet (n=15; group A) or atorvastatin 10 mg/d (group B); the aforementioned variables were measured at baseline and after 3 days of treatment. Compared with referents, hypercholesterolemic patients showed higher values of platelet CD40L (P<0.005), sCD40L (P<0.005), and F1+2 (P<0.003). Platelet CD40L was significantly correlated with sCD40L (P<0.001), and the latter was significantly correlated with F1+2 (P<0.001). The intervention trial showed no changes in group A but a significant decrease in platelet CD40L (P<0.01), sCD40L (P<0.002), and F1+2 (P<0.03) in group B. In vitro studies demonstrated that cholesterol enhanced platelet CD40L and CD40L-mediated clotting activation by human monocytes; also, atorvastatin dose-dependently inhibited platelet CD40L expression and clotting activation by CD40L-stimulated monocytes. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, in hypercholesterolemia, platelet overexpression of CD40L may account for enhanced plasma levels of sCD40L and F1+2. Atorvastatin exerts a direct antithrombotic effect via inhibition of platelet CD40L and CD40L-mediated thrombin generation, independently of its cholesterol-lowering effect.