Hypercholesterolaemia and lipid lowering treatment do not affect the acute endogenous fibrinolytic capacity in vivo.

OBJECTIVE

To assess acute tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) release in vivo in patients with hypercholesterolaemia in the presence and absence of lipid lowering treatment and in matched normocholesterolaemic controls.

DESIGN

Parallel group comparison and double blind randomised crossover.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENTS

Eight patients with hypercholesterolaemia (> 7.8 mmol/l) and eight matched normocholesterolaemic controls (< 5.5 mmol/l).

METHODS

Blood flow and plasma fibrinolytic factors were measured in both forearms during unilateral brachial artery infusions of the endothelium dependent vasodilator substance P (2-8 pmol/min) and the endothelium independent vasodilator sodium nitroprusside (1-4 microg/min).

INTERVENTIONS

In patients, measurements were made on three occasions: at baseline and after six weeks of placebo or pravastatin 40 mg daily administered in a double blind randomised crossover design.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Acute release of t-PA.

RESULTS

Compared with patients, in normocholesterolaemic control subjects substance P caused greater dose dependent increases in forearm blood flow (p < 0.05) but similar increases in plasma t-PA antigen and activity concentrations. During pravastatin treatment in patients, total serum cholesterol fell by 22% from a mean (SEM) of 8.1 (0.3) to 6.4 (0.4) mmol/l (p = 0.002) and substance P induced vasodilatation was no longer significantly impaired in comparison with controls. However, despite reproducible responses, pravastatin treatment was not associated with significant changes in basal or substance P induced t-PA release.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypercholesterolaemia and lipid lowering treatment cause no demonstrable effects on acute substance P induced t-PA release in vivo. This suggests that the preventative benefits of lipid lowering treatment are unlikely to be mediated by improvements in endogenous fibrinolysis.