Atorvastatin in stable angina patients lowers CCL2 and ICAM1 expression: Pleiotropic evidence from plasma mRNA analyses

Objective: Statin pleiotropy is still an evolving concept, and the lack of clarity on this subject is due at least in part to the lack of a definitive biomarker for statin pleiotropy. Using plasma mRNA analysis as a novel research tool for the non-invasive in vivo assessment of gene expression in vascular beds, we hypothesised that atorvastatin lowers the plasmamRNA level from statin pleiotropy-target genes, and the reduction is independent of the reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Design and methods: Forty-four patients with stable angina received atorvastatin therapy (20 mg/day, 10 weeks). Plasma chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and intercellular adhesion molec…