Long-term Effects of high-doSe pitavaStatin on Diabetogenicity in comparison with atorvastatin in patients with Metabolic syndrome (LESS-DM): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Statins for treatment of fatty liver disease: Recent advances

Fatty liver disease (FLD), a common liver disease, is caused by genetic, environmental, and metabolic factors. It is mainly divided into alcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. FLD will gradually progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer if there is no timely intervention. Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, can significantly decrease serum cholesterol levels by inhibiting the activity of HMG-CoA reductase. Thus, they are widely used to treat hypercholesterolemia in clinical practice. Some studies have reported that statins may exert anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, and anti-fibrosis effects, suggesting their benefits on FLD. Herein, we review the existing evidence about use of statins for the treatment of FLD to further guide the rational use of statins in patients with FLD.

Long-term atorvastatin or the combination of atorvastatin and nicotinamide ameliorate insulin resistance and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in a murine model of obesity

Current studies aimed at investigating the association between atorvastatin therapy and insulin resistance (IR) appear to be controversial. IR is considered to be an important contributor to inducing cardiac dysfunction through multiple signals. The paradoxical cardiotoxicity of atorvastatin reported under different conditions suggests that the association between atorvastatin treatment, insulin resistance and cardiac function should be clarified further. In this study, C57BL/6 J male mice were fed a high-fat diet (HD) or standard chow diet (SD) for 12 weeks and subsequently randomly divided into four groups: the SD-Control (SD-C) and HD-Control (HD-C) groups treated with saline for 10 months and the HD-A and HD-A + N groups treated with atorvastatin (20 mg/kg/day) alone or atorvastatin combined with nicotinamide (NAM, 1 g/kg/day) for 10 months. Although no significant changes in systolic function and structure were observed between the four groups of mice at an age of 46 or 58 weeks, respectively, long-term treatment with atorvastatin alone or atorvastatin and NAM combination significantly retarded the HD-induced IR and diastolic dysfunction and attenuated both cardiac and hepatic fibrosis in obese mice possibly by regulating the cleavage of osteopontin and then controlling profibrotic activity. Changes in cardiac function and structure were similar between the HD-A and HD-A + N groups; however, mice in the HD-A + N group exhibited better glucose control and marked reduction in body weight and hepatic lipid accumulation. Thus, these results suggest that long-term treatment with atorvastatin or the combination of atorvastatin and nicotinamide may be alternative therapies due to their beneficial effects on IR and diastolic function.

Recent advances in synthetic pharmacotherapies for dyslipidaemias

Despite the demonstrated benefits of statins and injectable biologics, there is a need for new and safe oral agents for addressing classical lipid targets, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). LDL-C is unquestionably causal in the development of atherogenesis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but new options are required to address triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and lipoprotein(a). For hypercholesterolaemia, pitavastatin provides a very low dose and potent statin that does not adversely affect glucose metabolism; bempedoic acid acts at a biochemical step preceding hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase and is not associated with muscular side effects. For hypertriglyceridaemia, pemafibrate displays a unique and selective agonist activity on peroxisomal proliferator activated receptor-α that does not elevate homocysteine or creatinine. Although omega-3 fatty acids supplementation is not effective in secondary prevention, high dose eicosapentaenoic ethyl ester can lead to a remarkable fall in first and recurrent events in high risk patients with hypertriglyceridaemia/low HDL-C. Gemcabene, a dicarboxylic acid regulating apolipoprotein B-100, is effective in reducing both cholesterol and triglycerides. Among cholesteryl ester transfer protein antagonists that elevate HDL-C, only anacetrapib reduces cardiovascular events. Probucol stimulates reverse cholesteryl ester transport, lowers LDL-C stabilizing plaques and may lower incidence of cardiovascular events. These agents, which act through novel mechanisms, afford good and potentially safe treatment choices that may increase adherence and the attainment of therapeutic targets.

Lipids: a personal view of the past decade

The past decade has witnessed considerable progress in the field of lipids. New drugs have been "rapidly" developed and some of these drugs have already been evaluated in event-based large trials. This evidence has led to the guidelines recommending new, more aggressive treatment goals for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Although LDL-C remains the principal goal for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction, there has also been considerable interest in other lipid variables, such as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a). Statin intolerance is now considered a very important topic in daily clinical practice. This has resulted in more attention focusing on non-statin drugs [e.g., ezetimibe and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors] and statin-related side effects. The latter mainly involve muscles, but there is also a need to consider other adverse effects associated with statin use (e.g., new onset diabetes). New specific areas of statin use have attracted interest. For example, statin-loading before procedures (e.g., coronary stenting), the prevention of stroke, and the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Statins will remain the most widely used drugs to treat dyslipidaemia and decrease CVD risk. However, we also need to briefly consider some other lipid-lowering drugs, including those that may become available in the future.

Effects of Pitavastatin on Insulin Sensitivity and Liver Fat: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Context

3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) are widely prescribed. Statins may have important metabolic effects on insulin sensitivity and liver fat, but limited studies have assessed these effects by using euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, stable isotopes, and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for liver fat quantification.

Objective

To study the effects of pitavastatin on hepatic fat and insulin sensitivity.

Design

Six-month, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting

Academic clinical research center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Participants

Overweight, insulin-resistant men aged 40 to 65 years who had not received statin therapy for ≥1 year.

Interventions

Pitavastatin 4 mg or placebo daily.

Outcome

The primary endpoints were changes in insulin sensitivity measured by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp and liver fat measured by 1H MRS.

Results

Pitavastatin showed no effect on endogenous glucose production (ΔRa glucose 0.07 ± 0.07 vs 0.04 ± 0.07 mg/kg/min, pitavastatin vs placebo, P = 0.76) or insulin-stimulated glucose uptake during "low dose" (ΔM 0.1 ± 0.1 vs -0.3 ± 0.2 mg/kg/min, P = 0.11) and "high dose" (ΔM -0.5 ± 0.3 vs -0.7 ± 0.4 mg/kg/min, P = 0.70) euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps. There was also no effect of pitavastatin on fasting glucose, HbA1c, and 2-hour glucose after 75-g glucose challenge. There was also no change in liver fat fraction (-1 ± 1 vs -0 ± 1%, P = 0.56).

Conclusion

Compared with placebo, pitavastatin did not affect hepatic or whole-body insulin sensitivity, and it did not reduce liver fat.

Assessing statin effects on cardiovascular pathways in HIV using a novel proteomics approach: Analysis of data from INTREPID, a randomized controlled trial

Background

People with HIV (PWH) demonstrate increased cardiovascular disease (CVD), due in part to increased immune activation, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction.

Methods

In a randomized trial (INTREPID), 252 HIV-infected participants with dyslipidemia and no history of coronary artery disease were randomized (1:1) to pitavastatin 4 mg vs. pravastatin 40 mg for 52 weeks. Using a proteomic discovery approach, 92 proteins biomarkers were assessed using Proximity Extension Assay technology to determine the effects of statins on key atherosclerosis and CVD pathways among PWH. 225 participants had specimens available for biomarker analysis pre- and post-baseline.

Findings

The mean age was 49.5 ± 8.0 (mean ± SD), LDL-C 155 ± 25 mg/dl and CD4 count 620 ± 243 cell/mm³. Among all participants, three proteins significantly decreased: tissue factor pathway inhibitor [TFPI; t-statistic = −6.38, FDR p-value<0.0001], paraoxonase 3 [PON3; t-statistic = −4.64, FDR p-value = 0.0003], and LDL-receptor [LDLR; t-statistic = −4.45, FDR p-value = 0.0004]; and two proteins significantly increased galectin-4 [Gal-4; t-statistic = 3.50, FDR p-value = 0.01] and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 [IGFBP-2; t-statistic = 3.21, FDR p-value = 0.03]. The change in TFPI was significantly different between the pitavastatin and pravastatin groups. Among all participants, change in TFPI related to the change in LDL-C (r = 0.43, P < 0.0001) and change in Lp-PLA2 (r = 0.29, P < 0.0001).

Interpretation

Using a proteomics approach, we demonstrated that statins led to a significant reduction in the levels of TFPI, PON3, and LDLR and an increase in Gal-4 and IGFBP-2, key proteins involved in coagulation, redox signaling, oxidative stress, and glucose metabolism. Pitavastatin led to a greater reduction in TFPI than pravastatin. These data highlight potential novel mechanisms of statin effects among PWH.

Fund

This work was supported by an investigator-initiated grant to S.K.G. from KOWA Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. and the National Institutes of Health [P30 DK040561; Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard]. M.T. was support by National Institutes of Health [5KL2TR001100-05; Harvard Catalyst KL2 grant].

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Among PWH, statins significantly decreased three proteins [tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), paraoxonase 3 (PON3), and LDL-receptor (LDLR)].

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Among PWH, statins significantly increased galectin-4 (Gal-4) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2).

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The proteins significantly affected by statin therapy are involved in important pathways in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

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The change in TFPI was directly related to the change in LDL-C and a systemic marker of arterial inflammation (Lp-PLA2).

The Association of Statin Therapy with Incident Diabetes: Evidence, Mechanisms, and Recommendations

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Recent studies have demonstrated a higher risk of incident diabetes associated with statin use, causing concern among patients and clinicians. In this review, we will assess the evidence and proposed mechanisms behind statin therapy and its association with incident diabetes. We will then review the current recommendations for statin use in light of this association and suggest next steps for clinicians managing these patients and researchers exploring this phenomenon.

RECENT FINDINGS

The annual risk of developing new-onset diabetes with statin treatment is approximately 0.1%. In comparison, the absolute risk reduction of major coronary events with statin use is approximately 0.42% annually. Statins are associated with the development of incident diabetes, particularly among those with predisposing risk factors for diabetes. However, the benefit of statin use among these patients in preventing major coronary events strongly favors statin use despite its risk of incident diabetes.