Effect of Simvastatin Withdrawal on Ocular Endothelial Function

NCT02533141 · Status: WITHDRAWN · Phase: PHASE4 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Last updated 2020-02-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Statins are drugs representing the most commonly prescribed medication for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. In a recently published study, discontinuation of statin therapy in patients after acute myocardial infarction was associated with a higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 3,45) and a higher cardiac mortality (hazard ratio 4,65). Increasing evidence suggests that statins also have vasoactive properties by up-regulating endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) with positive effects on endothelial function. Experiments with flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) showed these positive effects of statin treatment on endothelial function but also revealed that withdrawal of statin treatment transiently worsens endothelial function, independently of serum cholesterol levels.

Consequently, this placebo controlled Phase IV crossover study wants to assess changes of endothelial function in terms of flicker induced vasodilatation before and during statin therapy as well as after statin withdrawal. For this purpose 20 healthy subjects will be treated with 40 mg/day of simvastatin for a period of 4 weeks. Flicker induced vasodilatation and retinal oxygen saturation will be measured with the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer system by Imedos at baseline, in the 4th week of simvastatin or placebo intake as well as 3, 7 and 14 days after the end of intake.

Conditions

  • Healthy

Interventions

DEVICE

Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA)

Measurement of flicker induced vasodilatation, retinal vessel diameters and oxygen saturation

DEVICE

Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV)

Measurement of red blood cell velocity in retinal vessels

DRUG

Simvastatin

Simvastatin Ranbaxy (Basics GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany) Dosage: 40 mg per day for 4 weeks, ingested in the morning Route of administration: peroral

OTHER

Placebo

Placebo, once daily for 4 weeks

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Medical University of Vienna

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
45 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-10-31
Primary Completion
2020-09-30
Completion
2020-12-31

Countries

  • Austria

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02533141 on ClinicalTrials.gov