Simvastatin (Zocor) Therapy in Sickle Cell Disease

Summary

Recent clinical and experimental data indicate that statins have effects beyond cholesterol lowering that may be beneficial in sickle cell disease by protecting the vascular endothelium. Statins have been shown to attenuate endothelial dysfunction through their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-thrombotic properties. This phase I/II dose-escalating trial is designed to assess the safety and potential clinical efficacy of oral simvastatin (Zocor)in adolescents and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Timeline

Start

2007-06

Primary completion

2011-12

Completion

2011-12

Publications

• Background Hebbel RP. Extracorpuscular factors in the pathogenesis of sickle cell disease. Am J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 1982 Fall;4(3):316-9.
• Background Hebbel RP. Perspectives series: cell adhesion in vascular biology. Adhesive interactions of sickle erythrocytes with endothelium. J Clin Invest. 1997 Jun 1;99(11):2561-4. doi: 10.1172/JCI119442. No abstract available.
• Background Hebbel RP. Special issue of Microcirculation: examination of the vascular pathobiology of sickle cell anemia. Foreword. Microcirculation. 2004 Mar;11(2):99-100. No abstract available.
• Background Kaul DK, Liu XD, Choong S, Belcher JD, Vercellotti GM, Hebbel RP. Anti-inflammatory therapy ameliorates leukocyte adhesion and microvascular flow abnormalities in transgenic sickle mice. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2004 Jul;287(1):H293-301. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01150.2003. Epub 2004 Mar 4.
• Background Wood KC, Hebbel RP, Granger DN. Endothelial cell P-selectin mediates a proinflammatory and prothrombogenic phenotype in cerebral venules of sickle cell transgenic mice. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2004 May;286(5):H1608-14. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01056.2003. Epub 2004 Jan 2.
• Background Belcher JD, Marker PH, Weber JP, Hebbel RP, Vercellotti GM. Activated monocytes in sickle cell disease: potential role in the activation of vascular endothelium and vaso-occlusion. Blood. 2000 Oct 1;96(7):2451-9.
• Background Haffner SM, Alexander CM, Cook TJ, Boccuzzi SJ, Musliner TA, Pedersen TR, Kjekshus J, Pyorala K. Reduced coronary events in simvastatin-treated patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes or impaired fasting glucose levels: subgroup analyses in the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Dec 13-27;159(22):2661-7. doi: 10.1001/archinte.159.22.2661.
• Background Laufs U, Wassmann S, Hilgers S, Ribaudo N, Bohm M, Nickenig G. Rapid effects on vascular function after initiation and withdrawal of atorvastatin in healthy, normocholesterolemic men. Am J Cardiol. 2001 Dec 1;88(11):1306-7. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9149(01)02095-1. No abstract available.
• Background Hebbel RP, Vercellotti GM. The endothelial biology of sickle cell disease. J Lab Clin Med. 1997 Mar;129(3):288-93. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2143(97)90176-1. No abstract available.
• Background Solovey A, Lin Y, Browne P, Choong S, Wayner E, Hebbel RP. Circulating activated endothelial cells in sickle cell anemia. N Engl J Med. 1997 Nov 27;337(22):1584-90. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199711273372203.
• Background Solovey A, Gui L, Key NS, Hebbel RP. Tissue factor expression by endothelial cells in sickle cell anemia. J Clin Invest. 1998 May 1;101(9):1899-904. doi: 10.1172/JCI1932.
• Background Reiter CD, Gladwin MT. An emerging role for nitric oxide in sickle cell disease vascular homeostasis and therapy. Curr Opin Hematol. 2003 Mar;10(2):99-107. doi: 10.1097/00062752-200303000-00001.
• Background Gladwin MT, Crawford JH, Patel RP. The biochemistry of nitric oxide, nitrite, and hemoglobin: role in blood flow regulation. Free Radic Biol Med. 2004 Mar 15;36(6):707-17. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2003.11.032.
• Background Platt OS. Sickle cell anemia as an inflammatory disease. J Clin Invest. 2000 Aug;106(3):337-8. doi: 10.1172/JCI10726. No abstract available.
• Background Brown MD, Wick TM, Eckman JR. Activation of vascular endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression by sickle blood cells. Pediatr Pathol Mol Med. 2001 Jan-Feb;20(1):47-72.
• Background Takemoto M, Liao JK. Pleiotropic effects of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme a reductase inhibitors. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2001 Nov;21(11):1712-9. doi: 10.1161/hq1101.098486.
• Background Corsini A, Bellosta S, Baetta R, Fumagalli R, Paoletti R, Bernini F. New insights into the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of statins. Pharmacol Ther. 1999 Dec;84(3):413-28. doi: 10.1016/s0163-7258(99)00045-5.
• Results Hoppe C, Kuypers F, Larkin S, Hagar W, Vichinsky E, Styles L. A pilot study of the short-term use of simvastatin in sickle cell disease: effects on markers of vascular dysfunction. Br J Haematol. 2011 Jun;153(5):655-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2010.08480.x. Epub 2011 Apr 8.

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Indications