Statins are ubiquitously prescribed agents used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia, in particular for decreasing blood cholesterol levels

–Multiple immunomodulatory effects have been described for statins. We sought to assess their effects on components of the immune response in mice in addition to examining their effects in human transplant recipients. Multiple groups of BALB/c mice were challenged with egg albumin and treated with various regimen of atorvastatin. Serum and spleen samples were then collected. Mice sera were analyzed for anti-egg albumin levels by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) while splenocytes were assessed for IL-4 and IFN-γ expression by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Atorvastatin treatment markedly decreased anti-egg albumin antibody, IL-4 and IFN-γ production particularly in a group of mice receiving atorvastatin for 5 days post-challenge. To examine the effect of statins on graft longevity in kidney allograft recipients, 111 patients were monitored for graft rejection or loss within a period of 3 years post-transplantation. Fifteen of 90 (16.66%) of patients who were not on a statin had a rejection episode or lost the graft while 1 of 21 (4.76%) patients on a statin had a rejection episode. Therefore, statins appear to have suppressive effects on various components of the immune response. They also seem to decrease the risk of graft rejection or loss in transplant recipients.