Szczepańska-Szerej Anna, Kurzepa Jacek, Wojczal Joanna, Stelmasiak Zbigniew
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Clin Neuropharmacol. 2011 Sep-Oct;34(5):191-4. doi: 10.1097/WNF.0b013e3182309418.
Oxidative stress plays an important role in ischemic stroke pathophysiology. Some drugs are known to have a substantial influence on oxidative stress. In this study, we examined the antioxidant effect of simvastatin through its influence on patients' serum 8-isoprostane levels.
We measured serum 8-isoprostane levels in 67 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated and not treated with simvastatin within 5 days after stroke onset, in comparison with 20 normal controls.
Stroke patients from both groups had significantly higher initial serum 8-isoprostane levels than the controls. The median value of serum 8-isoprostane level was significantly lower in the simvastatin-treated group after 5 days of treatment.
The results confirm the contribution of oxidative stress to brain ischemia and suggest antioxidative properties of statins in the acute phase of ischemic stroke patients.
