Musab M Khalaf¹, Mohammed Saarti¹ , Sarraa Dhiaa¹

¹Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Mosul, Mosul-Iraq.

For correspondence:-  Mohammed Saarti   Email: mohammedpharma79@uomosul.edu.iq   Tel:0096-47725340004

Received: 30 September 2025        Accepted: 10 January 2026        Published: 31 January 2026

Citation: Khalaf MM, Saarti M, Dhiaa S. Influence of short-term therapy with statins on some inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress in hyperlipidemic patients. Trop J Pharm Res 2026; 25(1):59-69 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v25i1.9

© 2026 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To determine the effect of statins on some inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in hyperlipidemic patients. Methods: The study was a 3-month randomized clinical trial conducted on 80 participants (52 males and 28 females), comprising 60 hyperlipidemic patients and 20 healthy individuals (controls), at the Cardiac Care Unit of Al-Salam Teaching Hospital. The hyperlipidemic patients were assigned to three groups, each with 20 participants. Group I was made up of hyperlipidemic patients given 20 mg rosuvastatin, while group II patients were hyperlipidaemic patients who were treated with 20 mg atorvastatin. The hyperlipidemic patients in group III received 20 mg simvastatin. Each treatment was given once daily at night for a duration of 4 weeks. The fourth group (group IV) was composed of 20 apparently healthy volunteers who never had any antihyperlipidemic medications, regardless of lipid profiles. Serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol (TC), and total triglycerides (TG) were measured in the four groups at the end of 4 weeks of treatment. Results: Serum levels of MDA, TAC, IL-6, CRP, TC, and TG were significantly higher than the reference ranges in the hyperlipidemic patients, relative to the apparently healthy controls (p ? 0.05). However, treatment with rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, and simvastatin significantly reduced the serum levels of MDA, IL-6, CRP, TC, and TG, when compared to pre-treatment values (p ? 0.05), but TAC level was not markedly changed. No gender differences in response to statin therapy were observed in this study. Conclusion: Rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, and simvastatin may have beneficial effects in mitigating the damage caused by increased oxidative stress and excessive inflammation in hyperlipidemic patients.

Keywords: Statins, Inflammatory biomarkers, Hyperlipidemia, Oxidative stress, C-Reactive Protein

Impact Factor
Thompson Reuters (ISI): 0.6 (2023)
H-5 index (Google Scholar): 49 (2023)