Therapeutic Research

Abstract

Background：The Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study（JELIS）demonstrated the efficacy of eicosapentaenoic acid（EPA）in preventing major coronary events in hypercholesterolemic patients undergoing statin treatment. We examined the effect of EPA on the serum concentration of malondialdehyde−modified low−density lipoprotein（MDA−LDL）, a major component of oxidized LDL, in statin−treated patients with coronary artery disease （CAD）. Methods：The study participants consisted of 23 CAD patients（15 men, 8 women； mean age, 72±8 years）undergoing statin treatment with serum LDL cholesterol levels over 100 mg／dL. All patients received 1800 mg of EPA daily for 3 months. The serum levels of MDA−LDL and LDL−cholesterol were measured before and after the EPA treatment. Results：There was a significant decrease in MDA−LDL levels from 98±34 U／L at baseline to 74±22 U／L after the EPA treatment. The LDL−cholesterol levels showed a small decrease from 123±27 mg／dL to 114±31 mg／dL, which was not significant. The reduction in the MDA−LDL levels（22±17％）was significantly greater than that in the LDL−cholesterol levels（7±19％）. Conclusion：EPA treatment significantly decreased serum concentrations of MDALDL in statin−treated patients with CAD. The antioxidative effects of EPA may have contributed, in part, to the prevention of major coronary events demonstrated in the JELIS.