What is lovastatin?what is its role in atherosclerosis?

Lovastatin or as a matter of any -statin group medicine is a cholesterol-lowering medication that blocks the production of cholesterol (a type of fat) and atherosclerosis in the body. Lovastatin reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol in the blood. Lowering your cholesterol can help prevent heart disease and hardening of the arteries, conditions that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and vascular disease.

Now let us see what is atherosclerosis ?
Atherosclerosis is the build up of a waxy plaque on the inside of blood vessels. Arteriosclerosis (from the Greek arteria, meaning artery) is a general term for hardening of the arteries. Arteriosclerosis can occur in several forms, including atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, a progressive condition responsible for most heart disease, is a type of hardening of the arteries. It can be caused by normal aging processes, by high blood pressure, and by some diseases, such as diabetes. Atherosclerosis can begin in the late teens, but it usually takes decades for the signs and symptoms of the disease to be apparent. Some people experience rapidly progressing atherosclerosis in their 30s or later.

An artery is made up of several layers: an inner lining called the endothelium, an elastic membrane that allows the artery to expand and contract, a layer of smooth muscle, and a layer of connective tissue. Atherosclerosis affects the inner lining of an artery. It is characterized by plaque deposits that block the flow of blood. Plaque is made of fatty substances, cholesterol, waste products from the cells, calcium, iron, and fibrin, a material that helps clot blood.

As plaque builds up in and around the cells of the artery walls, they accumulate calcium. The innermost layer thickens, the artery's diameter is reduced, and blood flow and oxygen delivery are decreased. Plaque can rupture or crack open, causing the sudden formation of a blood clot, called a thrombosis. As a result of thrombosis and/or the buildup of plaque, atherosclerosis can cause a heart attack if it completely blocks the blood flow in the coronary arteries. It can cause a stroke if it completely blocks the carotid arteries of the brain. Atherosclerosis can also occur in the arteries of the neck, kidneys, thighs, and arms, and may lead to kidney failure, gangrene, and even death.-

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Lovastatin is a drug used to help reduce cholestorol.

It is widely used in our hospital and it is useful. expecially in patients with Hypercholesterolemia.put an clinical test as follows:The Efficacy of Intensive Dietary Therapy Alone or Combined with Lovastatin in Outpatients with Hypercholesterolemia
ABSTRACT
Background A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol is the standard initial treatment for hypercholesterolemia. However, little quantitative information is available about the efficacy of dietary therapy in clinical practice or about the combined effects of diet and drug therapy.

Methods One hundred eleven outpatients with moderate hypercholesterolemia were treated at five lipid clinics with the National Cholesterol Education Program Step 2 diet (which is low in fat and cholesterol) and lovastatin (20 mg once daily), both alone and together. A diet high in fat and cholesterol and a placebo identical in appearance to the lovastatin were used as the respective controls. Each of the 97 patients completing the study (58 men and 39 women) underwent four consecutive nine-week periods of treatment according to a randomized, balanced design: a high-fat diet-placebo period, a low-fat diet-placebo period, a high-fat diet-lovastatin period, and a low-fat diet-lovastatin period.

Results The level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was a mean of 5 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 3 to 7 percent) lower during the low-fat diet than during the high-fat diet (P<0.001). With lovastatin therapy as compared with placebo, the reduction was 27 percent. Together, the low-fat diet and lovastatin led to a mean reduction of 32 percent in the level of LDL cholesterol. The level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol fell by 6 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 4 to 8 percent) during the low-fat diet (P<0.001) and rose by 4 percent during treatment with lovastatin (P<0.001). The ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and the level of total triglycerides were reduced by lovastatin (P<0.001), but not by the low-fat diet.

Conclusions The effects of the low-fat-low-cholesterol diet and lovastatin on lipoprotein levels were independent and additive. However, the reduction in LDL cholesterol produced by the diet was small, and its benefit was possibly offset by the accompanying reduction in the level of HDL cholesterol.

the mechanism of action of lovastatin in atherosclerosis is that it inhibits HMG-CoA reductase.. this is an enzyme that promotes the synthesis of cholesterol. if HMG-CoA reductase is inhibited cholesterol will not be formed thus decreasing cholesterol in the body. :-)