Summary
The effects of cerivastatin and fenofibrate on proteins involved in haemostasis and
on markers of inflammation were investigated in otherwise healthy middle-aged males
with combined hyperlipidemia. Besides classical risk factors, other so-called novel
risk factors for coronary artery disease are seen to be playing an increasingly important
role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Thirty-eight males, aged
49 ± 5 years were randomised to 12 weeks treatment either with cerivastatin at a daily
dose of 0.2 mg to 0.4 mg to achieve the LDL cholesterol goal of <3.0 mM, or with fenofibrate
250 mg daily. Fasting serum lipids, homocysteine, total and free tissue factor pathway
inhibitor (TFPI), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen activator
(t-PA) antigen and activity, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor
necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. No change in homocysteine level was observed
in the cerivastatin group, while after fenofibrate administration it increased (p
<0.0001).Total TFPI decreased significantly after cerivastatin (p = 0.002), but not
after fenofibrate. Free TFPI did not decrease after either drug. Neither drug affected
(t-PA) antigen and activity, while fenofibrate increased PAI-1 antigen (p <0.05) and
activity (p <0.05). Cerivastatin decreased serum CRP values by 49.5% (p = 0.001),
and fenofibrate by 29.8% (p = 0.03). The decreases of CRP in the two groups differed
significantly (p = 0.04). IL-6 levels decreased significantly in the fenofibrate group
(39%; p <0.0001), but not in the cerivastatin group (15%; p = 0.24) No significant
decreases were observed for TNF-α. Cerivastatin had neutral effects on fibrinolysis,
homocysteine or coagulation. On the other hand, fenofibrate increased PAI-1 antigen
and activity and homocysteine, and did not affect coagulation. Both cerivastatin and
fenofibrate reduced CRP levels, the decrease being significantly greater after cerivastatin.
Fenofibrate also significantly decreased IL-6.
Keywords
Novel risk factors - fenofibrate - cerivastatin