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Statin Drugs Do Not Affect Serum Complement Activation In Vitro
Author(s) -
Lappegård K. T.,
Hvassing T.,
Mollnes T. E.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.0300-9475.2004.01439.x
Subject(s) - complement system , alternative complement pathway , classical complement pathway , lectin pathway , statin , atorvastatin , chemistry , in vivo , complement factor b , pharmacology , pravastatin , antibody , cholesterol , medicine , immunology , biochemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Statin drugs prevent coronary heart disease through anti‐inflammatory mechanisms in addition to the well‐known reduction of low‐density lipoproteins. The complement system plays an essential role in the inflammatory response and has been postulated to be modified by statins. A direct role for statins in complement activation, however, has not been previously investigated. We therefore studied the effect of statins on in vitro complement activation. Pravastatin, atorvastatin and the active metabolite of the latter, ortho ‐hydroxy atorvastatin, were added to normal human serum and incubated for 1 h in the absence or presence of aggregated immunoglobulin (classical pathway activation) or cobra venom factor (alternative pathway activation). The degree of complement activation, as detected by specific complement‐activation products for the classical pathway (C1rs‐C1‐inhibitor complexes), the combined classical and lectin pathway (C4bc), the alternative pathway (C3bBbP) and the final common pathway (C3bc and TCC), was not affected by pre‐incubation of the serum with any of the statins. Statins do not affect complement activation directly, but indirect effects in vivo may well be operative.