Effects of low-dose atorvastatin on insulin resistance and serum inflammatory factors in patients with metabolic syndrome

Objective To observe the effects of low-dose atorvastatin on insulin resistance (IR) as well as the levels of serum high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods Totally 60 inpatients with MS were randomly divided into the treatment group (n=30) and the control group (n=30). Patients in the control group received conventional therapy while those in the treatment group were administered with atorvastatin (10 mg/d) in addition to the conventional therapy. The treatment lasted 4 weeks. The levels of serum hsCRP and TNF-α of the two groups of patients were measured by immunoturbidimetry and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The IR index was calculated by a balanced pattern of HOMA. Results (1) Levels of serum hsCRP, TNF-α, TC, TG, LDL-C and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in the MS group than in the normal subjects (P<0.05 or P<0.01), whereas HDL-C was lower (P<0.05). (2) Levels of serum hsCRP, TNF-α, TC, TG, LDL-C and HOMA-IR decreased significantly in the MS patients after atorvastatin treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). However, no significant improvement was found in the control patients with MS (P>0.05). (3) In the treatment group, the decrease of serum hsCRP and TNF-α levels did not parallel with the changes of plasma TC and LDL-C. Conclusion Short-term administration of atorvastatin at low dose can not only decrease the levels of blood lipids, serum hsCRP and TNF-α, but also improve IR and act as an anti-inflammatory agent in MS.