Effect of atorvastatin on vascular endothelium function in long-term smokers

Objective To investigate the effect of atorvastatin on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation function and inflammation factors in long term smokers.Methods 264 long-term smokers were divided randomly into atorvastatin group(20 mg/d) and control group(placebo) for 12 weeks.A non-invasive high-resolution ultrasound was used to detect the dilation changes of brachial arteries during reactive hyperemia and after sublingual nitroglycerin,and blood endothelin-1(ET-1),blood C-reaction protein(CRP) and nitric oxide(NO) level were measured before and 12 weeks after treatment.Results At 12 weeks after atorvastatin treatment,the levels of ET-1 and CRP decreased,(44.6±8.54) ng/L vs(86.1±6.81) ng/L,(2.84±3.12) mg/L vs(5.80±5.29) mg/L(P0.05) and blood NO leve1 increased more obvously than those in control group,(78.70±14.32) μmol/L vs(67.20±13.02) μmol/L.Flow-mediated dilation(FMD) and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation of brachial arteries(NMD) in atorvastatin group were much improved compared with before treatment(11.48±5.35)% vs(7.76±3.87)%,(10.80±3.12)% vs(7.80±2.29)%.Conclusion Additional atorvastatin may improve vascular endothelial function on long-term smokers by anti-oxidative stress.