Comparative effects of atorvastatin 80 mg and rosuvastatin 40 mg on the levels of serum endocan, chemerin, and galectin-3 in patients with acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE: Endocan, chemerin, and galectin-3 are discrete biomarkers associated with cardiovascular diseases and acting through different pathophysiological pathways. The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the effects of high doses of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin on serum endocan, chemerin, and galectin-3 levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Sixty-three patients with AMI were randomized to receive atorvastatin (80 mg/day) or rosuvastatin (40 mg/day) after percutaneous revascularization. Serum levels of endocan, chemerin, and galectin-3 were evaluated at baseline and after 4-week therapy. RESULTS: Endocan levels were not decreased statistically significantly with atorvastatin 80 mg, but rosuvastatin 40 mg markedly decreased the levels of endocan according to baseline [from 110.27 (86.03–143.69) pg/mL to 99.22 (78.30–122.87) pg/mL with atorvastatin 80 mg and from 110.73 (77.28–165.22) pg/mL to 93.40 (70.48–115.13) pg/mL with rosuvastatin 40 mg, p=0.242 for atorvastatin 80 mg and p=0.014 for rosuvastatin 40 mg]. Chemerin levels significantly decreased in both groups according to baseline [from 264.90 (196.00–525.95) ng/mL to 135.00 (105.95–225.65) ng/mL with atorvastatin 80 mg and from 309.95 (168.87–701.27) ng/mL to 121.25 (86.60–212.65) ng/mL with rosuvastatin 40 mg, p<0.001, respectively, for both groups]. Galectin-3 levels did not change markedly with atorvastatin 80 mg, but they decreased with rosuvastatin 40 mg [from 17.00 (13.10–22.25) ng/mL to 19.30 (15.25–23.45) ng/mL with atorvastatin 80 mg, p=0.721, and from 18.25 (12.82–23.82) ng/mL to 16.60 (10.60–20.15) ng/mL with rosuvastatin 40 mg, p=0.074]. There were no significant between-group differences in terms of absolute and percentage changes of endocan, chemerin, and galectin-3 at 4 weeks. CONCLUSION: We reported that both statins similarly decreased the endocan levels, whereas rosuvastatin seems to have more prominent effects on the reduction of the chemerin and galectin-3 levels in patients with AMI.