Effects of Lovastatin on the Levels of Soluble CD40L in Patients with Unstable Angina Pectoris

Objective To investigate the effects of lovastatin on the serum levels of soluble CD40L(sCD40L)in patients with unstable angina pectoris(UA).Methods Cases of 48 UA patients were randomly divided into three groups: Group A(given placebo),Group B(treated with lovastatin),and their serum levels of sCD40L and total cholesterol(TC) were measured by ELISA and enzyme assay,respectively.Results The serum levels of sCD40L of group B was significantly lower than those of group A after having been treated for2,4 and 6 weeks.(P0.05,P0.01,P0.01 respectively),group B having been treated for 2,4,6 weeks,their levels of sCD40L were markedly lower than those before treatment(P0.05,P0.01,P0.01 respectively).group B after having been treated for 2,4and 6 weeks,the levels of plasma TC were considerably lower than before(P0.05,P0.01,P0.01 respectively).There were no significant correlation between the decrease of sCD40L levels and that of TC in group B(P0.05).Conclusion Both lovastatin not only decrease the levels of TC,but also reduce the expression of sCD40L,so it may benefit to atherosclerotic plaque stabilization.