Spectrum of Pleiotropic Effects of Statins in Heart Failure

Beyond lipid lowering: pleiotropic effects of statins in heart failure

In the 1980s, statins were introduced in clinical practice as lipidloweringmedication. Since then, several additional, pleiotropic, effects of statins have been described, including angiogenic, antiarrhythmic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimitotic, antioxidative, antithrombotic, CRP-lowering, immunomodulatory and vascular protective (stabilisation of the atheroma plaque) activity, inhib...

Pleiotropic effects of statins

The lipid-lowering actions of statins are well known. However, recent studies provide compelling evidence that the clinical benefits of statin therapy may also be attributed to mechanisms independent of their cholesterol-lowering effects. These non-lipid-lowering (pleiotropic) effects of statin therapy are believed to include antiinflammatory actions, property to reverse endothelial dysfunction...

Pleiotropic Effects of Statins

[Pleiotropic effects of statins].

Results of numerous epidemiologic studies indicate that elevated serum cholesterol, especially the LDL fraction, is a major cause of coronary heart disease (CHD). Epidemiologic and angiographic evidence from primary and secondary prevention studies involving several HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) indicate that decreasing elevated serum cholesterol concentration (specifically LDL-cholest...

Beneficial cardiovascular pleiotropic effects of statins.

Pleiotropic effects of a drug are actions other than those for which the agent was specifically developed. These effects may be related or unrelated to the primary mechanism of action of the drug, and they are usually unanticipated. Pleiotropic effects may be undesirable (such as side effects or toxicity), neutral, or, as is especially the case with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), benef...