Effect of Lovastatin on Lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant concentrations in hemodialysis patients

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in end stage renal diseases (ESRD), especially in hemodialysis (HD) patients. In addition the classic risk factors for atherosclerosis, non classical risk factors, such as high lipid peroxidation and low antioxidants, also, are culprit in the pathogenesis. METHOD: We tested lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant levels in forty five stable hyperlipidemic HD males (age range 40–60 years) before, after 45 and 90 days of prescription of 20 mg/day Lovastatin for three months. Malondialdehyde (MDA), as prototype of lipid peroxidation, and total antioxidants (TA) were measured by flourimetric and spectrophotometric assays, respectively. RESULTS: Serum triglyceride (Tg) (213.7 ± 112.4 mg/dl vs. 153.4 ± 54.8 mg/dl p = 0.003), serum cholesterol (C) (185.8 ± 48.3 mg/dl vs. 149.3 ± 37.8 mg/dl, p = 0.014), LDL-C (120.1 mg/dl ± 48.9 vs. 84.8 ± 43.7 mg/d, p = 0.001), VLDL-C (40.7 ± 18.9 mg/dl vs. 30.7 ± 10.9 mg/dl, p = 0.025), MDA (13.1 ± 3.5 nmol/ml vs. 1.27 ± 1 nmol/ml, p = 0.00), TA (0.98 ± 0.17 mmol/l vs. 1.28 ± 0.27 mmol/l, p = 0.001) and HDL (24.9+11.1 mg/dl vs. 31.4 ± 7.7 mg/dl, p = 0.007) significantly were changed by 3 months of Lovastatin therapy. These changes for HDL, VLDL and Tg after the 3 months were more obvious than 45 days of Lovastatin therapy. CONCLUSION: In HD patients serum lipids and their oxidations are increased. Both of them, quantitatively and qualitatively, are improved by using of Lovastatin. The later would be due to enhance of TA activity.