BACKGROUNDStatins improve arterial stiffness in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Hypertension is a predominant contributor of arterial stiffening. However, the influence of hypertension on the effect of statins for improving arterial stiffness in CAD patients has seldom been investigated. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the relationships between statin use and arterial stiffness in normotensive and hypertensive CAD patients.

METHODSBrachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) was measured in 437 patients, including 220 hypertensive CAD patients (121 used statins, 99 did not) and 217 normotensive CAD patients (105 used statins, 112 did not). The normotensive and hypertensive CAD patients were matched according to age, sex, and body mass index (BMI).

RESULTSIn the normotensive and hypertensive CAD patients, lipid profiles were significantly improved in the statin group compared with the non-statin group. No significant differences in the administered statins (i.e., atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin, and pravastatin) and statin therapy duration were found between normotensive and hypertensive CAD patients (all P > 0.05). No significant correlation of ba-PWV and statin therapy duration was found in all CAD patients, normotensive CAD patients, or hypertensive CAD patients (all P > 0.05). ba-PWV in the statin group was significantly lower than that in the non-statin group in normotensive CAD patients ((1331.68 ± 167.52) cm/s vs. (1468.61 ± 244.54) cm/s, P = 0.002) but not in hypertensive CAD patients (P > 0.05). In multiple linear regression analyses, statin therapy was significantly associated with ba-PWV after adjusting for confounding variables in normotensive CAD patients (P = 0.018) but not in hypertensive CAD patients (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSStatins may significantly improve arterial stiffness in CAD patients, and hypertension may probably influence the effectiveness of statin therapy in improving arterial stiffness in this population. Further studies are required to investigate the effect of statins on arterial stiffness in normotensive and hypertensive CAD patients.

Aged ; Ankle Brachial Index ; Coronary Artery Disease ; physiopathology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Hypertension ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Vascular Stiffness ; drug effects ; physiology

AIM: To explore the therapeutic effects of Morinda officinalis capsules (MOP) on osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats. METHODS: Six-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were induced for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) by bilateral ovariectomy and divided into seven groups as follows: sham-operated group, ovariectomized (OVX) control group, OVX treated with xianlinggubao (XLGB) (270 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹), OVX treated with alendronate sodium (ALN) (3 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹), and OVX treated with Morinda officinalis capsule (MOP) of graded doses (90, 270 and 810 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹) groups. Oral treatments were administered daily on the 4(th) week after ovariectomy and lasted for 12 weeks. The bone mineral density was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and osteocalcin (OC) levels in the serum and plasma were determined by standard colorimetric and enzyme immunoassays methods. Bone biomechanical properties and morphological parameters were analyzed by three-point bending test and histomorphometry respectively. RESULTS: Morinda officinalis capsules at all doses were able to significantly prevent the OVX-induced loss of bone mass due to diminishing serum AKP and TRAP levels while elevating OC level in the plasma. Morinda officinalis capsules also enhanced the bone strength and prevented the deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture. CONCLUSION Morinda officinalis capsules possess potent anti-osteoporotic activity in OVX rats which could be an effective treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Acid Phosphatase ; blood ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; blood ; Animals ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Bone Density Conservation Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Isoenzymes ; blood ; Morinda ; Osteocalcin ; blood ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; blood ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Ovariectomy ; Phytotherapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase