Volume 31, Issue 4 pp. e27-e33
Original Research Article
Free to Read

Effect of Simvastatin on Plasma Homocysteine Levels and Its Modification by MTHFR C677T Polymorphism in Chinese Patients with Primary Hyperlipidemia

Shanqun Jiang

Corresponding Author

Shanqun Jiang

School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, China

Institute of Biomedicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

Correspondence

Shanqun Jiang, PhD., School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, 3 Feixi Road, PO Box 41, Hefei 230039, China.

Tel.: 86-13956059590

Fax: 86-551-5107354

E-mail: [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
Qianru Chen

Qianru Chen

School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, China

Search for more papers by this author
Scott A. Venners

Scott A. Venners

Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

Search for more papers by this author
Guisheng Zhong

Guisheng Zhong

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

Search for more papers by this author
Yi-Hsiang Hsu

Yi-Hsiang Hsu

Institute for Aging Research, HSL and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

Search for more papers by this author
Houxun Xing

Houxun Xing

Institute of Biomedicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

Search for more papers by this author
Xiaobin Wang

Xiaobin Wang

The Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program, Children's Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, Chicago, IL, USA

Search for more papers by this author
Xiping Xu

Xiping Xu

Institute of Biomedicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, USA

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 18 July 2013
Citations: 21

Summary

Objective

We investigate the effect of simvastatin on plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels and whether genetic factor affects the effect of simvastatin.

Methods

A total of 338 patients with hyperlipidemia were enrolled. Simvastatin was orally administered at a dose of 20 mg/day for 8 weeks. Plasma Hcy levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. Genotyping of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism was performed by TaqMan probe technique.

Results

Serum total Hcy levels were positively correlated with serum creatinine (r = 0.332, < 0.001). Among total subjects, simvastatin treatment resulted in a significant reduction in serum Hcy levels after 8 weeks (−0.37 ± 2.21 μmol/L, = 0.003), and this effect was dependent on the initial levels of serum Hcy. The individuals with 677TT genotype had a significantly higher baseline Hcy level and a greater change in Hcy levels. After stratification by body mass index (BMI), we observed a significant increase in Hcy levels among the TT genotype group in adjusted model (beta±SE: 2.64 ± 0.84 μmol/L; = 0.002) among patients with BMI ≥ 25 (kg/m2).

Conclusions

Simvastatin can cause a marked decrease in plasma Hcy levels. MTHFR C677T genetic variant contributes to simvastatin's effects among Chinese subjects with primary hyperlipidemia.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.