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Background: FoxP3 is a marker of human T regulatory cells (Tregs), which are supposed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a cytokine with pleiotropic, immunoregulatory properties, produced mostly by Tregs and B regulatory cells. Due to their anti-inflammatory action, both Tregs and IL-10 are believed to inhibit plaque development and decrease atherosclerosis progression. The effect of hypolipidemic drugs - statins or ezetimibe - on FoxP3-positive Tregs and anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10, is still unclear., Objectives: The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of 3 different therapies of equivalent hypolipidemic activity: atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, and combination therapy of atorvastatin and ezetimibe on FoxP3-Tregs transcription factor and IL-10 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD)., Material and Methods: Sixty-five patients with diagnosed CAD participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to 3 therapeutic groups: atorvastatin at a dose of 40 mg/day (A40 group); rosuvastatin 20 mg/day (R20 group); and atorvastatin 10 mg/day combined with ezetimibe 10 mg/day (A10+E10 group). After 1 month and 6 months of therapy, the mRNA expression for FoxP3 and IL-10 in PBMCs was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and lipid parameters., Results: An improvement in lipid parameters was observed in each of the groups studied; however, hypolipidemic treatment did not induce any change in FoxP3 and IL-10 mRNA expression. After 6 months, an increase in FoxP3 mRNA expression was noted in A40 group as compared to R20 group., Conclusions: None of the therapies of equal hypolipidemic efficacy affected FoxP3 and IL-10 mRNA expression in patients with stable CAD.

Background: Erythrocytes play an important role in atherogenesis. An excessive accumulation of cholesterol in erythrocyte membranes leads to disruption of the erythrocytes., Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare the effect of two different hypolipidemic therapies on the structure of erythrocyte membranes., Material and Methods: The study included 18 patients with angiographic confirmed coronary artery disease who, despite at least 6 months of hypolipidemic treatment, had not achieved LDL-C < 70 mg/dL and 18 healthy individuals as the control group. The following parameters were studied: total cholesterol level and erythrocyte membrane fluidity, lipid peroxidation, SH groups in membrane protein and plasma lipids., Results: We observed a decrease in TC (20%), LDL-C (35%), level of lipid peroxidation (25%) and total cholesterol in erythrocytes (23%), and an increase in HDL-C (8%) and erythrocyte membrane fluidity of subsurface layers (14%) after 6 months of 10 mg atorvastatin + 10 mg ezetimibe therapy, in comparison with healthy controls. In the group treated with 40 mg atorvastatin for 6 months, decreased LDL-C (23%), lipid peroxidation (37%) and membrane cholesterol concentration (18%) was noted, as well as an increase in erythrocyte membrane fluidity in the subsurface layers (12%)., Conclusions: Both the combination therapy and the monotherapy lead to an improvement of erythrocyte membrane structure, whose parameters reached values close to those in the control healthy group.