Simvastatin Attenuates the Activity of Matrix Metalloprotease-9 in Aneurysmal Aortic Tissue

J. Evans*, J. T. Powell, E. Schwalbe, I. M. Loftus, M. M. Thompson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

117 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To investigate whether statins reduce the concentration of MMP-9 in the aortic wall, we randomised patients undergoing elective open repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to a pre-operative course of either simvastatin or placebo. MMPs in aortic biopsies were measured using gelatin zymography. Although recruitment closed early because of increasing statin use among eligible patients, with only 21 patients we demonstrated a 40% reduction in MMP-9 levels in the AAA wall in patients randomised to simvastatin. This provides a possible molecular mechanism to explain the reportedly beneficial effects of statins to slow AAA growth.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)302-303
Number of pages2
JournalEuropean Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Volume34
Issue number3
Early online date18 Jun 2007
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
  • Cytokines
  • Matrix Metalloproteases
  • Randomised Clinical Trial
  • Statins

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