|
|
||||||||||
|
J Am Coll Cardiol, 2005; 45:1649-1653, doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2005.02.052 © 2005 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation |



* Department of Cardiology, Gachon Medical School, Incheon, Korea
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gachon Medical School, Incheon, Korea
Diabetes Unit, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
Manuscript received November 17, 2004; revised manuscript received January 17, 2005, accepted February 8, 2005.
* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Kwang Kon Koh, Director, Vascular Medicine and Atherosclerosis Unit, Gil Heart Center, Gachon Medical School, 1198 Kuwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, Korea 405-760. (Email: kwangk{at}ghil.com).
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
BACKGROUND: The mechanisms of action for statins and fibrates are distinct.
METHODS: Fifty-six patients were given atorvastatin 10 mg and placebo, atorvastatin 10 mg and fenofibrate 200 mg, or fenofibrate 200 mg and placebo daily during each two-month treatment period of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial with two washout periods of two months each.
RESULTS: Lipoproteins were changed to a greater extent with combined therapy when compared with atorvastatin or fenofibrate alone. Flow-mediated dilator response to hyperemia and plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels were changed to a greater extent with combined therapy when compared with atorvastatin or fenofibrate alone (p < 0.001, p = 0.182, and p = 0.015 by analysis of variance [ANOVA], respectively). The effects of combined therapy or fenofibrate alone on plasma adiponectin levels and insulin sensitivity (determined by the Quantitative Insulin-Sensitivity Check Index [QUICKI]) were significantly greater than those of atorvastatin alone (p = 0.022 for adiponectin and p = 0.049 for QUICKI by ANOVA). No patients were withdrawn from the study as the result of serious adverse effects.
CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy is safe and has beneficial additive effects on endothelial function in patients with combined hyperlipidemia.
| |||||||
Coronary heart disease frequently is associated with insulin resistance and metabolic disorders, such as obesity and combined hyperlipidemia. Endothelial dysfunction associated with cardiovascular diseases may contribute to insulin resistance (6). The effects of statins on insulin resistance are controversial (7,8). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha activators improve insulin sensitivity in rodents (9). The impact of atovastatin and fenofibrate therapies on endothelial homeostasis and insulin resistance may differ because the mechanisms underlying the biological actions of these drugs are distinct. Therefore, we investigated whether combined therapy has additive beneficial effects greater than atovastatin or fenofibrate alone in patients with combined hyperlipidemia.
| Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
200 mg/dl and triglycerides ranging from 200 mg/dl to 800 mg/dl) participated in this study. We excluded patients with overt liver disease, chronic renal failure, hypothyroidism, myopathy, uncontrolled diabetes, severe hypertension, stroke, acute coronary events, coronary revascularization within the preceding three months, or evidence of alcohol abuse. Clinical characteristics of the study patients are summarized in Table 1. We administered atorvastatin 10 mg and placebo, atorvastatin 10 mg and fenofibrate 200 mg, or fenofibrate 200 mg and placebo daily during two months in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial with three treatment arms (each two months in duration) and two washout periods (each two months in duration). Patients were observed at 14-day intervals (or more frequently) during the study. To avoid side effects, we measured serum asparate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatine kinase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine before and after therapy. Calcium channel or beta adrenergic blockers were withheld for
48 h before the study. The study was approved by the Gil Hospital Institute Review Board, and all participants gave written, informed consent.
|
Vascular studies. Imaging studies of the right brachial artery were performed using an ATL HDI 3000 ultrasound machine (Bothell, Washington) equipped with a 10-MHz linear-array transducer, on the basis of a published technique (10,11).
Statistical analysis. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM or median (range, 25% to 75%). After testing data for normality, we used the Student paired t or Wilcoxon signed rank test to compare values before and after each treatment (Tables 2 and 3). The effects of the three therapies were analyzed by one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Friedmans repeated ANOVA on ranks by comparing the relative changes in values in response to treatment. Post hoc comparisons between treatment pairs were made with the Student-Newman-Keuls multiple comparison procedure. Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient analysis was used to assess associations between measured parameters. Comparisons between endothelium-dependent dilation among the three treatment schemes were prospectively designated as the primary study end point. All other comparisons were considered secondary. A value of p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
|
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Effects on lipids. Fenofibrate alone or combined therapy significantly lowered triglycerides and increased HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I levels when compared with atorvastatin alone (Fig. 1, Table 2).
|
|
|
Combined therapy or fenofibrate alone significantly increased plasma adiponectin levels relative to baseline measurements from 3.4 to 3.5 (p = 0.001) and 3.2 to 3.6 (p = 0.004), respectively. These increases were significantly greater than those observed with atorvastatin alone (p = 0.022 by ANOVA) (Fig. 4, Table 3). The three therapies did not have significantly different baseline insulin and glucose levels. However, the magnitude of reduction of insulin with combined therapy was significantly greater than with atorvastatin alone (p = 0.012 by ANOVA) (Table 3). Combined therapy or fenofibrate alone significantly increased QUICKI relative to baseline measurements by 7 ± 2% (p = 0.003) and 5 ± 2% (p = 0.043), respectively. These increases with combined therapy were significantly greater than those observed with atorvastatin alone (p = 0.049 by ANOVA) (Fig. 4, Table 3). There were significant correlations between percent changes in adiponectin and percent changes in QUICKI (r = 0.283, p = 0.034) or apolipoprotein A-I (r = 0.351, p = 0.008), and there were significant inverse correlations between percent changes in adiponectin and percent changes in insulin (r = 0.332, p = 0.013) after combined therapy. However, there were no significant correlations between percent changes in adiponectin levels and percent changes in triglycerides (r = 0.085) or HDL cholesterol levels (r = 0.048).
|
|
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Fenofibrate therapy alone resulted in significant elevation of adiponectin levels, decreased insulin levels, and increased insulin sensitivity (assessed by QUICKI). The present study is the first report demonstrating that fenofibrate therapy can increase adiponectin levels. Adiponectin is an adipose-derived factor that augments and mimics metabolic actions of insulin. Moreover, adiponectin can directly stimulate nitric oxide production from endothelium (14). Therefore, increasing adiponectin levels would be predicted to improve both insulin sensitivity and endothelial function by multiple mechanisms. Interestingly, in contrast to effects of combination therapy on FMD, the beneficial effects of fenofibrate therapy on adiponectin levels, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity did not increase further with combination therapy. Thus, the benefits with respect to insulin resistance are predominantly the result of fibrate therapy rather than statin therapy, which suggests that improving endothelial function per se (as reflected by FMD) may not completely explain effects of fenofibrate or combined therapy to improve insulin sensitivity. However, combined therapy may reduce insulin resistance by multiple mechanisms such as lipoprotein changes and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha activators. Fenofibrate or combined therapy for two months increased adiponectin levels without a change in body weight or body mass index, which raises the possibility that drug therapy is directly altering adiponectin levels independent of adiposity. It is possible that monotherapy with doses of statins higher than those used in our present study may have additional benefits similar to those we observed with our combined fibrate/statin therapy. However, caution is indicated because recent clinical studies suggest high doses of statins may increase the onset of new diabetes (15). In summary, our study suggests that combined atorvastatin/fenofibrate therapy is safe and has beneficial additive effects, supporting the updated National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines (16).
| Footnotes |
|---|
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
X. R. Chen, V. C. Besson, T. Beziaud, M. Plotkine, and C. Marchand-Leroux Combination Therapy with Fenofibrate, a Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor {alpha} Agonist, and Simvastatin, a 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitor, on Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., September 1, 2008; 326(3): 966 - 974. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. K. Koh, M. J. Quon, S. H. Han, Y. Lee, J. Y. Ahn, S. J. Kim, Y. Koh, and E. K. Shin Simvastatin Improves Flow-Mediated Dilation but Reduces Adiponectin Levels and Insulin Sensitivity in Hypercholesterolemic Patients Diabetes Care, April 1, 2008; 31(4): 776 - 782. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. K. Koh, M. J. Quon, Y. Lee, S. H. Han, J. Y. Ahn, W.-J. Chung, J.-a Kim, and E. K. Shin Additive beneficial cardiovascular and metabolic effects of combination therapy with ramipril and candesartan in hypertensive patients Eur. Heart J., June 2, 2007; 28(12): 1440 - 1447. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. Paumelle and B. Staels Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors Mediate Pleiotropic Actions of Statins Circ. Res., May 25, 2007; 100(10): 1394 - 1395. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Wiecek, M. Adamczak, and J. Chudek Adiponectin--an adipokine with unique metabolic properties Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., April 1, 2007; 22(4): 981 - 988. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Nakano, Y. Inada, H. Masuzaki, T. Tanaka, S. Yasue, T. Ishii, N. Arai, K. Ebihara, K. Hosoda, K. Maruyama, et al. Bezafibrate regulates the expression and enzyme activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 in murine adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 adipocytes Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, April 1, 2007; 292(4): E1213 - E1222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Hiuge, A. Tenenbaum, N. Maeda, M. Benderly, M. Kumada, E. Z. Fisman, D. Tanne, Z. Matas, T. Hibuse, K. Fujita, et al. Effects of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Ligands, Bezafibrate and Fenofibrate, on Adiponectin Level Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., March 1, 2007; 27(3): 635 - 641. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. H. Han, M. J. Quon, J.-a Kim, and K. K. Koh Adiponectin and Cardiovascular Disease: Response to Therapeutic Interventions J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., February 6, 2007; 49(5): 531 - 538. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C.-H. Kim, P. Pennisi, H. Zhao, S. Yakar, J. B. Kaufman, K. Iganaki, J. Shiloach, P. E. Scherer, M. J. Quon, and D. LeRoith MKR mice are resistant to the metabolic actions of both insulin and adiponectin: discordance between insulin resistance and adiponectin responsiveness Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, August 1, 2006; 291(2): E298 - E305. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J.-a Kim, M. Montagnani, K. K. Koh, and M. J. Quon Reciprocal Relationships Between Insulin Resistance and Endothelial Dysfunction: Molecular and Pathophysiological Mechanisms Circulation, April 18, 2006; 113(15): 1888 - 1904. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. K. Koh, M. J. Quon, S. H. Han, W.-J. Chung, J. Y. Ahn, J.-a Kim, Y. Lee, and E. K. Shin Additive Beneficial Effects of Fenofibrate Combined With Candesartan in the Treatment of Hypertriglyceridemic Hypertensive Patients Diabetes Care, February 1, 2006; 29(2): 195 - 201. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Chen, R. J. Karne, G. Hall, U. Campia, J. A. Panza, R. O. Cannon III, Y. Wang, A. Katz, M. Levine, and M. J. Quon High-dose oral vitamin C partially replenishes vitamin C levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes and low vitamin C levels but does not improve endothelial dysfunction or insulin resistance Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, January 1, 2006; 290(1): H137 - H145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. H. Han, M. J. Quon, and K. K. Koh Beneficial Vascular and Metabolic Effects of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-{alpha} Activators Hypertension, November 1, 2005; 46(5): 1086 - 1092. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | SUBSCRIPTIONS | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES | CARDIOSOURCE | SEARCH | HELP | FEEDBACK |