Comparison of effects of rosuvastatin (10 mg) versus atorvastatin (40 mg) on rho kinase activity in caucasian men with a previous atherosclerotic event.

ABSTRACT: In addition to inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis, statins also inhibit the formation of isoprenoid intermediates, which are required for the activation of the Rho/Rho kinase (ROCK) pathway. Increased ROCK activity has been implicated in causing endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. However, it is not known whether statins, at doses used to lower cholesterol levels, inhibit ROCK activity in humans with atherosclerosis. Furthermore, it is not known whether lipophilic and hydrophilic statins differ in their ability to inhibit ROCK activity. Accordingly, we enrolled 30 men with stable atherosclerosis (low-density lipoprotein [LDL] > or =100 mg/dL) in a randomized, double-blind study comparing equivalent LDL-lowering doses of a hydrophilic statin (rosuvastatin 10 mg once a day) with a

SUBMITTER: Rawlings R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2673911 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature