Decreased plasma and cardiac matrix metalloproteinase activities in patients with coronary artery disease and treated with pravastatin

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), which is activated by oxidative stress, plays an important role in the development of ventricular remodeling in coronary artery disease. Pravastatin is shown to reduce oxidative stress. We tested the hypothesis that cardiac oxidative stress and MMP activity are reduced in patients with coronary artery disease and treated with pravastatin. Forty-eight patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) were studied. Twenty-four patients had the serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level >2.59 mM, and were treated with pravastatin (10 mg/day) for 2 months before CABG (pravastatin group). The other 24 had LDL cholesterol