IMMUNE RESPONSE OF CULTURED MONOCYTES OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC PATIENTS RECEIVING STATIN THERAPY.

Aim: The current study was aimed to evaluate the immune response of monocytes/macrophages derived from atherosclerotic patients receiving hydrophilic and lipophilic statins and without lipid-lowering therapy, in order to evaluate the effect of statins on the inflammatory status of circulating monocytes.

Materials and methods: Three groups of 20 patients with atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries were included in the study: patients receiving atorvastatin or rosuvastatin therapy for at least 12 months before inclusion in the study and participants without statin therapy within a year before the inclusion in the study. CD14+ monocytes were derived from the whole blood of study participants by immunomagnetic separation. The isolated cells were cultured for 7 days under inflammatory stimulation with LPS and without stimulation. The level of basal, LPS-stimulated and re-stimulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β was determined by ELISA.

Results: The significantly lower basal secretion of TNF-α was revealed in atorvastatin and rosuvastatin groups in comparison with statin-free group (p=0.003; p<0.001); the basal secretion of IL-1β was lower only in rosuvastatin recipients (p=0.020). LPS-stimulated secretion of TNF-α wasn't significantly different in all groups while secretion of IL-1β was significantly reduced in both atorvastatin and rosuvastatin groups (p=0.002; p=0.001). The re-stimulated secretion of TNF-α was significantly lower in rosuvastatin recipients (p=0.031); the effect of statins on re-stimulated secretion IL-1β wasn't revealed. The correlation analysis revealed the association of total cholesterol and LDL serum levels with basal secretion of TNF-α and IL-1β.

Conclusions: Thus, the study demonstrated the significant decrease of inflammatory cytokines secretion by cultured monocytes of patients with coronary atherosclerosis receiving statin therapy. The most prominent effect was observed in rosuvastatin recipients. The reduction of the TNF-α and IL-1β secretion by monocytes correlated with low levels of total cholesterol and LDL.