Statins are well-known for their ability to lower serum cholesterol levels, but have properties beyond mere cholesterol reduction, including an improvement in endothelial dysfunction, release of endothelial progenitor cells, anti-inflammatory properties and a number of antitumour activities. In the present issue of Clinical Science, Stumpf et al. show that a 4-week treatment course with the lipophilic statin atorvastatin ameliorates left ventricular remodelling and function, reduces serum levels of TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α), IL (interleukin)-6 and MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1), and increases both serum and myocardial levels of IL-10. The authors hypothesize that this shift from a pro- to an anti-inflammatory response might be beneficial in the clinical setting, because patients with low levels of IL-10 may fare worse than those with higher levels. In light of the recent setbacks with rosuvastatin in large-scale clinical trials, this notion requires further investigation, but highlights the need to identify those patients with heart failure who are likely to benefit from statin therapy.
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Commentary|
November 28 2008
Statins for heart failure: still caught in no man's land?
Stephan von Haehling
1Applied Cachexia Research, Department of Cardiology, Charité Medical School, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, D-13353 Berlin, Germany
Correspondence: Dr Stephan von Haehling (email stephan.von.haehling@web.de).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
October 13 2008
Accepted:
October 29 2008
Accepted Manuscript online:
October 29 2008
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society
2009
Clin Sci (Lond) (2009) 116 (1): 37–39.
Article history
Received:
October 13 2008
Accepted:
October 29 2008
Accepted Manuscript online:
October 29 2008
Connected Content
A commentary has been published:
Atorvastatin enhances interleukin-10 levels and improves cardiac function in rats after acute myocardial infarction
Citation
Stephan von Haehling; Statins for heart failure: still caught in no man's land?. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 January 2009; 116 (1): 37–39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20080530
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