Circulatory neutrophil chemokines in statin-treated diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of statins on the circulatory levels of neutrophil chemokines, namely, granulocyte chemotactic protein-2 GCP-2, growth regulated oncogene-alpha GRO-alpha and epithelial-cell-derived neutrophil-activating peptide-78 ENA-78 in patients with diabetes. METHODS We studied 91 diabetic patients 46 were statin-treated and 45 were not and 28 healthy subjects. We measured the levels of GCP-2, GRO-alpha, and ENA-78 in the serum for the 3 groups using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital KKUH, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from January 2006 to July 2007. RESULTS Circulating levels of GCP-2, ENA-78, and not GRO-alpha, were significantly higher in diabetic patients as compared to healthy subjects p<0.05. Statins dropped the levels of both GCP-2 and GRO-a. The ENA-78 levels were not affected by statin therapy. There was no correlation between the levels of these chemokines with the body mass index and glycemia in the population studied. CONCLUSION Diabetes is associated with an elevation of GCP-2 and ENA-78, and not GRO-alpha. Statins have a significant role in reducing the level of GCP-2.