Pravastatin potentiates increases in serum adiponectin concentration in dyslipidemic patients receiving thiazolidinedione: the DOLPHIN study.

Aim: A reduced risk of type 2 diabetes has been reported following treatment with pravastatin. Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived protein that has an antidiabetic property. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pravastatin on serum adiponectin concentration and other influencing factors.

Methods: This study was a multicenter observational study: Dyslipidemia Open-labeled observational study by Lipid-lowering therapy with Pravastatin of the effect on High-molecular weight adiponectin in Nippon Yokohama (DOLPHIN). The protocol was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry as UMIN000000791. All patients received pravastatin 10 mg/day for 6 months and the change in concentration of total and high molecular weight adiponectin was assessed before and after follow-up. The difference in the change in total adiponectin concentration by patient characteristics was analyzed by an unpaired t-test. Influences of continuous variable factors on the change in total adiponectin concentration were estimated by simple linear regression analyses. Finally, in order to estimate the influences of factors that potentially affect the change in total adiponectin concentration induced by pravastatin, multiple linear regression analysis was conducted.

Results: After 6 months, total adiponectin concentration was increased significantly by 23.2% from 11.7±6.4 to 13.7±8.6 µg/mL (p=0.002). The use of thiazolidinedione as a concomitant medication was the only significant influencing factor (β=0.580, p<0.001).

Conclusion: Pravastatin increased the serum adiponectin concentration in Japanese dyslipidemic patients without previous coronary artery disease. Interestingly, this effect was seen synergistically in combination with thiazolidinedione.