Effects of High-dose Atorvastatin on Blood Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines Patients with Unstable Angina undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objective To investigate the effect of high-dose atorvastatin on serum levels of high-sensitive c-reactive protein (hs-CRP),tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα),IL-6 and lipids in patients with unstable angina undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI). Methods Sixty patients who underwent PCI from October 2007 to April 2008 in our hospital were randomized into three groups:control group(n=20) treated without lipid-lowering drugs;20mg(n=20) and 80mg(n=20) atorvastatin group with three days of treatment. The serum levels of hs-CRP,TNFα,IL-6 and lipids were measured before and after three days treatment (in the early morning of PCI)and at 24 hours after PCI. Results (1)The treatments of 20mg atorvastatin did not decrease significantly the levels of hs-CRP,TNFα and IL-6. (2)Compared to the control group,the levels of hs-CRP,TNFα and IL-6 were decreased markedly by 80mg atorvastatin(P0.05).(3)No changes of lipid levels were observed in any group before and after treatment. Conclusion The result suggests that PCI can lead to a detectable increase in serum levels of hs-CRP,TNFα and IL-6 in patients with coronary heart disease; 80mg atorvastatin could sighificantly decrease the serum levels of hs-CRP,TNFα and IL-6 in patients with PCI in three days.