Antioxidative activity of statins and hdl-pon1 association in lacunar ischemic stroke with and without white matter hyperintensity

Purpose: Statins (HMG-coA reductase inhibitors) protect vessels from atherosclerosis through various mechanisms, but the clinical significance of statin-induced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) changes has not been established. We evaluated the effects of statin treatment on the antioxidative activities of HDLs in ischemic stroke patients with and without white matter hyperintensity (WMH). Methods: From January to December in 2013, eighty-two ischemic stroke patients (57 men, 25 women; mean age 67.0 ± 11.8 years) at the Wonkwang Medical Center were recruited retrospectively and antioxidant activity was assessed via paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity. We studied changes in the patients’ lipid profiles and assessed PON1 activity in patients with and without WMH, at baseline and 8 weeks after treatment with rosuvastatin 10 mg/d. Results: All patients evaluated antioxidant activity using PON1 activity at admission. After 8 weeks of rosuvastatin treatment, the mean HDL concentration increased to 0.83 ± 10.1 mg/dL. The HDL levels increased in 54 patients (64.3%) and decreased in 30 patients (35.7%). PON1 activity increased to 15.0% in all patients, regardLess of WMH after rosuvastatin treatment (+ 25.4% in subjects without WMH; P < 0.001). Baseline PON1 activity modestly correlated with HDL levels (r = 0.365, P = 0.019); however, PON1 activity after treatment did not correlate with HDL levels (r = 0.149, P = 0.347). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that statins increase antioxidant activity, especially assessed via PON1 activity, in ischemic stroke patients who did not have WMH.