New Insights on the Impact of Statin Therapy in the Susceptibility to Hypovitaminosis D Through Serum Lipidome Profiling

Hypovitaminosis D is a worldwide clinical problem, affecting populations in numerous ways. Several factors seem to affect vitamin D metabolism, including the suggestion that therapy with the lipid lowering HMG-CoA inhibitors might modulate vitamin D levels. However, the relationship between statins intake and serum levels of vitamin D is still controversial. The present work aimed to add new insights on the association between statins therapy, and more specifically the generation of statins, and the lipid profile in a population of 106 subjects treated with these HMG-CoA inhibitors. Data showed that despite a higher prevalence of hipovitaminosis D in subjects treated with statins, there is no association between statin generation, total and LDL cholesterol and vitamin D levels. Moreover, second generation statins, the most common treatment of hypercholesterolemia in the studied population, promoted the remodelling of serum fatty acids that was characterized by the increase of arachidonic acid (AA) relative levels without affecting eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels. Among statin treated subjects, vitamin D levels did not affect serum fatty acid profile. The statin-related increased ratio AA/EPA suggests a pro- inflammatory status, whose long-term impact should be better clarified in the future.