Platelet deposition on eroded vessel walls at a stenotic shear rate is inhibited by lipid-lowering treatment with atorvastatin

Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase are widely used in the treatment of dyslipemias and have shown beneficial effects in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, regression studies with lipid-lowering drugs have not shown significant lesion reduction associated with the improvement in clinical events. Therefore, our objective has been to study whether treatment with a lipid-lowering drug of this family, atorvastatin, could reduce platelet deposition on the damaged vessel wall at different shear stress conditions, simultaneously with retardation of the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Using cholesterol-fed swine as the model, we found that atorvastatin significantly diminished platelet deposition on the mildly damaged vessel wall at high shear rates (50%, P<0.01), but it did not have any effect in preventing platelet deposition triggered by a severely injured vessel wall. Development of coronary lesions was also reduced by treatment. These findings suggest that atorvastatin may prevent platelet attachment to eroded vessels and hence, contribute to reducing the thrombotic risk associated with the erosions of the luminal surface and the platelet-dependent progression of atherosclerotic plaques.