BACKGROUND: The purpose of our study was to assess the effect of hypolipidemiant drugs on serum markers of vascular inflammation (E-Selectin, VCAM-1 and MCP-1) in dyslipidemic men without cardiovascular disease. MATERIAL/METHODS: 84 dyslipidemic men were consecutively recruited from the Lipid Unit of a tertiary hospital. The patients were placed on statins (n=44) or fibrates (n=22), depending on the lipid profile, for 4 months. In the control group (n=18), a hypolipidemiant diet alone was indicated. RESULTS: Baseline levels of VCAM-1 and MCP-1 were not correlated with the lipid profile. By contrast, baseline E-Selectin levels correlated directly with glucose and triglyceride levels, and negatively with HDL-C. In multiple regression analysis, HDL-C and glucose concentrations independently influenced E-selectin levels. After treatment, we observed a significant decrease of E-Selectin levels in patients treated with statins, and the changes in E-Selectin levels were inversely associated with HDL-C variations. We did not observe any changes in VCAM-1 levels after the treatment regime we used. Regarding MCP-1, a significant increase was detected in the patients receiving fibrates. In addition, the percentage increment of MCP-1 was higher in patients treated with gemfibrozil than in patients who received bezafibrate. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a reduction in E-Selectin levels after statin therapy. This finding was associated with increased HDL-C. Fibrates, especially gemfibrozil, increased MCP-1 concentrations. This deleterious effect was unrelated to changes in lipid profile, and may help explain why fibrates have less impact than statins in reducing cardiovascular disease.

Keywords: Bezafibrate - therapeutic use, Chemokine CCL2 - blood, Gemfibrozil - therapeutic use, Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - blood, Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - drug therapy, Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IV - drug therapy, Lovastatin - therapeutic use, Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 - blood