Abstract
Background/Objectives: Hypercholesterolemia, accompanied by vascular inflammation, leads to the premature initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, and both are considered nowadays as well-established cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. For several years, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9is), drugs that reduce the degradation of the receptors for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLRs), have appeared to be a very efficient lipid-lowering therapy among patients with complications resulting from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Previous studies showed that drugs used to fight hypercholesterolemia (predominantly statins) have significant pleiotropic effects, including anti-inflammatory effects. To date, data on the potential impact of PCSK9 inhibitors, especially inclisiran, on the course of inflammation is still lacking. Therefore, we conceived a study to evaluate the effects of inclisiran on the markers of subclinical inflammation (e.g., pentraxin 3 (PTX3), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and soluble cluster of differentiation 40 ligand (CD40L)) and compared their magnitude in patients at high CV risk, with and without established heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH). Methods: A total of 24 patients at high cardiovascular risk, according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, with or without concomitant HeFH diagnosed using Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) criteria, were enrolled in this study. Lipid concentrations and levels of subclinical inflammatory markers of atherosclerosis were measured at the beginning and after 3 months of therapy. Results: After three months of therapy with inclisiran, a statistically significant reduction included total cholesterol (TC): study group 1: from 287.6 ± 94.15 to 215.2 ± 89.08 [mg/dL], p = 0.022 and study group 2: from 211.71 ± 52.72 to 147.64 ± 55.44 [mg/dL], p < 0.001, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c): study group 1: from 180.79 ± 73.33 to 114.65 ± 71.54 [mg/dL], p = 0.031 and study group 2: from 129.62 ± 46.75 to 63.39 ± 43.6 [mg/dL], p < 0.001. Moreover significant drops were observed in concentrations of PTX3: study group 1: from 1336.33 ± 395.15 to 1121.75 ± 351.17 [pg/mL], p = 0.013 and study group 2: from 1610.76 ± 537.78 to 1376.92 ± 529.19 [pg/mL], p = 0.017), and IL-18: study group 1: from 11.89 (9.72-13.98) to 9.15 (8.62-10.06) [pg/mL], p = 0.005 and study group 2: from 11.58 (10.87-16.97) to 9.65 (8.43-10.95) [pg/mL], p = 0.003). There were no significant changes in the levels of sCD40L. Conclusions: This study confirmed the ability of inclisiran to reduce LDL-c levels in patients at high cardiovascular risk just after one dose of the drug. Furthermore, it appeared that beyond its lipid-lowering effect, the drug may also affect some inflammatory processes involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis.