Does treatment with statins have the potential of enhancing vascular calcification?

Vascular calcification is commonly found in atherosclerosis and recognized as a marker of atherosclerotic plaque burden. Many evdiences have demonstrated that vascular calcification is an active process and can be seen in all stages of development and intimately associated with atherosclerosis. The correlation between coronary calcifications and subclinical atherosclertotic disease has been well-known for some years. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 （BMP-2） has significant importance in bone development and the development of a wide array of tissues outside of bone. Zhang et al3,4 found mice genetically engineered to be deficient in BMP-2 die between days 7 and 10 of gestation of cardiac defects before bone formation. Many evidences have also confirmed that BMP-2 is a strong basic causative factor in vascular calcification and has been most frequently associated with calcific arteriopathy. Statins are the most powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs available. Although a major beneficial effect of statins in clinical studies is related to a marked reduction in low density lipoprotein （LDL） cholesterol levels, there are good evidences that statins hold multiple vascular protective effects,5 however, the effects of statins therapy in vascular calcification are more complex and less defined. The currently available reports of clinical trials about statins therapy of vascular calcification appeared to be paradoxical.