Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Effects of simvastatin on circulating autoantibodies to oxidized LDL antigens: relation with immune stimulation markers.

Goncalves, Isabel LU orcid ; Cherfan, Pierre ; Söderberg, Ingrid LU ; Nordin Fredrikson, Gunilla LU and Jonasson, Lena (2009) In Autoimmunity 42(3). p.203-208
Abstract
Statins exert a number of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in vitro. However, the immunomodulatory effects in vivo are less clarified. In the present study, we investigated whether simvastatin treatment changed the levels of autoantibodies against specific oxidized LDL (oxLDL) antigens as well as their association with leukocyte activation markers. Eighty volunteers with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia were randomized to either simvastatin 40 mg or placebo for 6 weeks. Autoantibodies against apo B peptide antigens, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 in plasma were determined by ELISA. Subsets of circulating B and T cells were studied by flow cytometry. Simvastatin significantly reduced CRP by 26%, whereas... (More)
Statins exert a number of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in vitro. However, the immunomodulatory effects in vivo are less clarified. In the present study, we investigated whether simvastatin treatment changed the levels of autoantibodies against specific oxidized LDL (oxLDL) antigens as well as their association with leukocyte activation markers. Eighty volunteers with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia were randomized to either simvastatin 40 mg or placebo for 6 weeks. Autoantibodies against apo B peptide antigens, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 in plasma were determined by ELISA. Subsets of circulating B and T cells were studied by flow cytometry. Simvastatin significantly reduced CRP by 26%, whereas IL-6 remained unchanged. Levels of IgG against the apo B peptide P-240 (amino acids 3586-3605) increased by 16% (p = 0.03) in the simvastatin group whereas autoantibody levels to other apo B peptides did not change. At baseline and after 6 weeks, the P-240 IgG levels were significantly correlated with the number of CD57+CD28 - CD8+T cells but not to other lymphocyte subsets or inflammatory markers. The P-240 IgG levels after 6 weeks simvastatin therapy was strongly correlated to the relative increase in CD57+CD28 - CD8+T cells (p = 0.003). Simvastatin treatment induced an increase in autoantibodies against an oxLDL antigen. The effect was related to an expansion of a CD8+T cell subset and may involve an immunostimulation by simvastatin. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Autoimmunity
volume
42
issue
3
pages
203 - 208
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • wos:000264346000004
  • pmid:19301201
  • scopus:67649650136
  • pmid:19301201
ISSN
0891-6934
DOI
10.1080/08916930802668602
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
23e295ee-3d02-4601-93d2-a3511f4c7295 (old id 1367599)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19301201?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:12:11
date last changed
2022-02-07 11:26:07
@article{23e295ee-3d02-4601-93d2-a3511f4c7295,
  abstract     = {{Statins exert a number of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects in vitro. However, the immunomodulatory effects in vivo are less clarified. In the present study, we investigated whether simvastatin treatment changed the levels of autoantibodies against specific oxidized LDL (oxLDL) antigens as well as their association with leukocyte activation markers. Eighty volunteers with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia were randomized to either simvastatin 40 mg or placebo for 6 weeks. Autoantibodies against apo B peptide antigens, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 in plasma were determined by ELISA. Subsets of circulating B and T cells were studied by flow cytometry. Simvastatin significantly reduced CRP by 26%, whereas IL-6 remained unchanged. Levels of IgG against the apo B peptide P-240 (amino acids 3586-3605) increased by 16% (p = 0.03) in the simvastatin group whereas autoantibody levels to other apo B peptides did not change. At baseline and after 6 weeks, the P-240 IgG levels were significantly correlated with the number of CD57+CD28 - CD8+T cells but not to other lymphocyte subsets or inflammatory markers. The P-240 IgG levels after 6 weeks simvastatin therapy was strongly correlated to the relative increase in CD57+CD28 - CD8+T cells (p = 0.003). Simvastatin treatment induced an increase in autoantibodies against an oxLDL antigen. The effect was related to an expansion of a CD8+T cell subset and may involve an immunostimulation by simvastatin.}},
  author       = {{Goncalves, Isabel and Cherfan, Pierre and Söderberg, Ingrid and Nordin Fredrikson, Gunilla and Jonasson, Lena}},
  issn         = {{0891-6934}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{203--208}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Autoimmunity}},
  title        = {{Effects of simvastatin on circulating autoantibodies to oxidized LDL antigens: relation with immune stimulation markers.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08916930802668602}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/08916930802668602}},
  volume       = {{42}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}