Annals of Medicine ISSN: 0785-3890 (Print) 1365-2060 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/iann20 Lipid Lowering Drugs and Inflammatory Changes: an Impact on Cardiovascular Outcomes? M. Ruscica, N. Ferri, C. Macchi, A. Corsini & C. R. Sirtori To cite this article: M. Ruscica, N. Ferri, C. Macchi, A. Corsini & C. R. Sirtori (2018): Lipid Lowering Drugs and Inflammatory Changes: an Impact on Cardiovascular Outcomes?, Annals of Medicine, DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2018.1498118 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2018.1498118 Accepted author version posted online: 06 Jul 2018. Submit your article to this journal View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=iann20 LIPID LOWERING DRUGS AND INFLAMMATORY CHANGES: AN IMPACT ON CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES? M. Ruscica1*, N. Ferri2*, C. Macchi1, A. Corsini1 and C. R. Sirtori3 1Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; 2Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy; 3Centro Dislipidemie, A.S.S.T. Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy *Both authors contributed equally to this work Corresponding Author: Cesare R. Sirtori
[email protected] Abstract Inflammatory changes are responsible for maintenance of the atherosclerotic process and may underlie some of the most feared vascular complications. Among the multiple mechanisms of inflammation, the arterial deposition of lipids and particularly of cholesterol crystals is the one responsible for activation of inflammasome NLRP3, followed by the rise of circulating markers, mainly C-reactive protein (CRP). Elevation of lipoproteins, LDL but also VLDL and remnants, associates with increased inflammatory changes and coronary risk.