Del concepto de estatinas de alta potencia a los efectos extralipídicos de las estatinas

Statins are drugs that reduce the plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. They have been shown to be effective for both primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention. These drugs can be classified according to their lipid-lowering capacity and are considered to have a high potency or high intensity if they can reduce levels by approximately 50%. In addition, they have other effects that do not appear to be explained solely by their ability to reduce the cholesterol level. It is thought these effects are related to other properties of the drugs (e.g. their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or antithrombotic properties) which are associated with their actions on G proteins. These extralipid effects have been studied in various cardiovascular diseases and in other conditions, such as sepsis, cancer and dementia. However, existing data are not clear enough to justify extending the therapeutic indications of statins beyond cholesterol reduction.