Open AccessEmerging views of statin pleiotropy and cholesterol lowering
Author(s) -
Dongbo Yu,
James K. Liao
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
cardiovascular research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.774
H-Index - 219
eISSN - 1755-3245
pISSN - 0008-6363
DOI - 10.1093/cvr/cvab032
Subject(s) - pleiotropy , medicine , statin , disease , hmg coa reductase , clinical trial , health benefits , intensive care medicine , pravastatin , cholesterol , bioinformatics , pharmacology , reductase , biology , traditional medicine , genetics , biochemistry , enzyme , gene , phenotype
Over the past four decades, no class of drugs has had more impact on cardiovascular health than the 3-hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors or statins. Developed as potent lipid-lowering agents, statins were later shown to reduce morbidity and mortality of patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease. However, retrospective analyses of some of these clinical trials have uncovered some aspects of their clinical benefits that may be additional to their lipid-lowering effects. Such 'pleiotropic' effects of statins garnered intense interest and debate over its contribution to cardiovascular risk reduction. This review will provide a brief background of statin pleiotropy, assess the available clinical evidence for and against their non-lipid-lowering benefits, and propose future research directions in this field.