Table 1.
The effect of atorvastatin and placebo on 4β-hydroxycholesterol (4βHC), 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), 5α,6α-epoxycholesterol (5,6-EC) and desmosterol, and their respective ratios to total cholesterol (C) on women with polycystic ovary syndrome
| Atorvastatin 20 mg (n = 15) | Placebo (n = 14) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 6 months | Change (P value) | Baseline | 6 months | Change (P value) | Between groups P value | |
| 4βHC : C | 0.21 ± 0.04 | 0.18 ± 0.04 | −0.032 ± 0.05 (0.024) | 0.20 ± 0.04 | 0.21 ± 0.05 | 0.0055 ± 0.03 (NS) | 0.020 |
| 4βHC (ng ml−1) | 44.4 ± 5.7 | 26.4 ± 6.9 | −18.0 ± 7.8 (<0.001) | 41.2 ± 8.3 | 41.0 ± 9.2 | −0.14 ± 7.2 (NS) | <0.001 |
| Cholesterol (mmol l−1) | 5.2 ± 0.8 | 3.6 ± 0.6 | −1.6 ± 0.5 (<0.001) | 5.1 ± 1.1 | 5.0 ± 1.0 | −0.12 ± 0.6 (NS) | <0.001 |
| 25HC : C | 0.040 ± 0.01 | 0.046 ± 0.02 | 0.0057 ± 0.018 (NS) | 0.044 ± 0.01 | 0.040 ± 0.01 | −0.0044 ± 0.012 (NS) | 0.25 |
| 25HC (ng ml−1) | 8.4 ± 2.3 | 6.6 ± 2.3 | −1.8 ± 2.8 (0.026) | 8.6 ± 1.6 | 7.7 ± 1.4 | −0.94 ± 1.8 (0.069) | 0.38 |
| 5,6-EC : C | 1.21 ± 0.40 | 1.28 ± 0.34 | 0.070 ± 0.53 (NS) | 1.23 ± 0.26 | 1.35 ± 0.32 | 0.12 ± 0.36 (NS) | 1.0 |
| 5,6-EC (ng ml−1) | 261 ± 127 | 188 ± 60 | −73 ± 118 (0.030) | 255 ± 86 | 269 ± 81 | 14 ± 81 (NS) | 0.018 |
| Desmosterol : C | 2.10 ± 0.48 | 1.96 ± 0.37 | −0.14 ± 0.55 (NS) | 1.98 ± 0.36 | 2.16 ± 0.39 | 0.18 ± 0.53 (NS) | 0.15 |
| Desmosterol (ng ml−1) | 427 ± 138 | 270 ± 61 | −156 ± 119 (<0.001) | 384 ± 97 | 407 ± 92 | 23 ± 107 (NS) | <0.001 |
Data are presented as mean ± SD. The oxysterol to cholesterol ratios are presented as molar ratios × 10 000. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to analyze differences in the ratios between the study groups. The paired Student's t-test was used to analyze the intra-individual changes during treatments. NS, not statistically significant.