Atorvastatin improves disease activity of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis partly through its tumour necrosis factor-alpha-lowering property

Hyogo Hideyuki

Yamagishi Shoichi

Maeda Sayaka

Kimura Yuki

Ishitobi Tomokazu

Chayama Kazuaki

Digestive and Liver Disease

Background: We have previously found that atorvastatin decreases liver injury markers in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. However, how atorvastatin treatment ameliorates the disease activity in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients remains unknown.
Aims: We examined here which anthropometric, metabolic and inflammatory variables were improved and related with amelioration of disease activity in atorvastatin-treated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients.
Methods: Forty-two biopsy-proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients with dyslipidemia were enrolled. Patients were treated with atorvastatin (10 mg/day) for 12 months.
Results: Atorvastatin significantly decreased liver transaminase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, type IV collagen, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels, whilst it increased adiponectin and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Atorvastatin improved nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score and increased liver to spleen density ratio. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and liver to spleen density ratio ( inversely) were independently associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score. Aspartate aminotransferase, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score were independent determinants of decreased liver to spleen density ratio.
Conclusion: The present study suggests that atorvastatin improves the disease activity of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis partly via its tumour necrosis factor-alpha-lowering property. (C) 2011 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Atorvastatin

Inflammation

NASH

TNF-alpha

Medical sciences [ 490 ]

eng

Elsevier Science INC

(c) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[ISSN] 1590-8658

[DOI] 10.1016/j.dld.2011.12.013

[NCID] AA11610665

[DOI] http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dld.2011.12.013