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AANS, 2013
includes many societal difficulties and loss of productivity. The available interventions do not clearly improve
long-term functional outcomes after TBI. Thus, the management of TBI remains largely supportive, directed toward control of cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension.24
The structural analogs of b-hydroxy-b-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase (statins) have
been assessed in the treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in humans (for a review, see the article by TapiaPrez et al.21). Studies in animal models of TBI using
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M. Snchez-Aguilar et al.
statins showed quicker absorption of bleeding contusions
and improvement of spatial orientation and neurological
function in statin-treated animals than in controls.12,13,15,23
Previously, we suggested that acute therapy with rosuvastatin could help reduce the duration of posttraumatic
amnesia and disorientation.22 A recently published study
showed that statin users had lower mortality rates and
better functional outcomes 12 months after TBI.20 The
apparent neuroprotective effect of statins seems to be related to the regulation of inflammatory processes and the
induction of neurorestorative cellular mechanisms.6,21,25
After trauma, astrocytes and microglia release IL1b and TNFa, which activate an inflammatory cascade.
Clinical studies showed high levels of TNFa, IL-10, and
IL-6 in TBI patients.4,10,14,16 The negative effects of IL-1b
and TNFa after TBI are clear.14 The role of IL-6 is more
ambiguous because it has both pro- and antiinflammatory
effects. Interleukin-10 is generally considered an antiinflammatory cytokine.10,14 In animals, simvastatin selectively reduces IL-1b expression, which seems to inhibit
activation of microglial cells and astrocytes.12
Based on these data, we designed a randomized placebo-controlled clinical investigation. The purpose of the
study was to assess the systemic acute antiinflammatory
effects of statins after TBI. We hypothesized that rosuvastatin would reduce or prevent the elevation of plasma
levels of TNFa, IL-1b, IL-6, and IL-10.
Methods
Patient Population
We conducted this randomized clinical placebo-controlled study at one hospital (Hospital Central Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto, San Luis Potos, Mxico). Eligible
patients ranged in age from 16 to 60 years with moderate
to severe TBI (GCS score < 13) and intracranial lesions,
as noted on CT scanning. Eligible patients were available
for randomization within the first 24 hours after TBI.
Exclusion criteria were predated head injury or severe disability due to neurological or psychiatric disease.
Other exclusion criteria were as follows: administration of
fibrates, niacin, cyclosporine, azoles, macrolides, protease
inhibitors, nefazodone, verapamil, diltiazem, or amiodarone in the past 24 hours; poor chances of survival; multisystem trauma; administration of mannitol, barbiturates,
corticosteroids, indomethacin, or calcium channel blockers before recruitment; isolated brainstem lesions; allergy
to statins; history of hepatopathy or myopathy; prior treatment at another clinic; and pregnancy. We also excluded
patients who died within 72 hours of TBI and those who
died of causes unrelated to brain injury. Patients families were informed of the study objectives, and signed
informed consent was obtained. The study was approved
by the local ethics committee and was registered with the
local health agency and with clinical trials (clinical trial
registration no.: NCT00990028).
Patients were managed in accordance with the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) guidelines. Once
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Drugs were prepared according to a list of randomized sequential numbers (blocks of 4) prior to the beginning of the study. Random sequential numbers were
generated using R-2.12.1 software for Windows. Packets
containing tablets were provided to the infirmary staff
who delivered the tablets to the patients.
Study Objectives
Our main objective was to determine whether rosuvastatin administration within the first 24 hours of TBI
could acutely influence the performance of TNFa, IL1b, IL-6, and IL-10 measured in plasma after 72 hours.
Venous blood samples were collected at admission and
after 72 hours. Samples were immediately centrifuged for
15 minutes at 1957g at 4C. The plasma was decanted
and stored at -80C until measurement. Plasma levels of
TNFa and IL-1b were determined using IMMULITE
1000 (Siemens). Interleukin-6 and IL-10 levels were measured using Quantikine (R&D Systems).
A secondary objective was to explore the functional
outcome in patients on the basis of the DRS and for amnesia and disorientation determined using the GOAT. The
DRS is derived from the GCS and evaluates the patients
cognitive understanding of daily activities, degree of assistance and supervision required, and employability.18
The DRS scores range from 0 to 30, with higher values indicating greater disability. A score of 30 indicates
death. A GOAT score of more than 75 points indicates
improvement in amnesia and disorientation.11 These tests
were performed at discharge from the hospital and at 3
and 6 months after TBI. Scoring was blinded and was assessed by the same neuropsychologist (P.M.P.).
J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013
Results
Between August 2009 and June 2011, 39 of 79 patients who had sustained a TBI were recruited at our hospital. Three patients were excluded from the analysis, as
explained in Fig. 1. Rosuvastatin treatment was paused on
the 4th day due to increasing CK values in 1 patient.
Group Characteristics
Nineteen patients received rosuvastatin and 17 received placebo. Table 1 shows the demographic, clinical,
laboratory, and radiological findings upon admission. The
time between TBI and the first dose of the drug was 10.63
hours (95% CI 8.3912.87 hours) in the rosuvastatin
group and 12.82 hours (95% CI 9.9715.67 hours) in the
placebo group (p = 0.20).
The lesions observed in the rosuvastatin group were
as follows: cervical whiplash (in 2 patients) and ocular
injury, scalp injury, anterior skull base fracture, middle
skull base fracture, and lung contusion with atelectasis (in
1 patient each). In the control group we observed extracranial hematoma (in 3 patients); cervical whiplash and
middle skull base fractures (in 2 patients each); and left
femur fracture, humerus fracture, right clavicle fracture,
scalp injury, and carotid cavernous fistula (in 1 patient
each).
Inpatient Evolution
Drug Safety
Hepatic failure and renal complications were not observed. Levels of AST and ALT were not significantly
different between the treatment groups. As mentioned
above, rosuvastatin treatment in 1 patient was stopped because of a substantial increase in the CK levels (10,000
U/L). Upon follow-up, we did not find evidence of renal
failure. Excluding the CK values of this patient, no differences were observed between the therapy groups. The
data describing these parameters are shown in Fig. 2.
Discussion
M. Snchez-Aguilar et al.
Fig. 1. Diagram of the recruitment phase. a = this patient was in the rosuvastatin group; b = both patients were in the placebo
group; RVS = rosuvastatin.
secondary damage after TBI is widely accepted.19 Interleukin-1b and TNFa lead to the activation of an inflammatory cascade after TBI and negatively influence the
evolution of trauma patients.14 Despite the unclear role
of IL-6, it may be a useful biomarker for TBI in children.1 In animal models, simvastatin reduced IL-1b expression, thereby inhibiting the activation of microglial
cells and astrocytes.12 The reduction of this inflammatory
agent seems to be related to inhibition of TLR4/nuclear
Fig. 2. Graphs showing the log mean with 95% CIs of AST, ALT, and CK levels on Days 0, 3, and 7 after administration of
rosuvastatin or placebo.
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Rosuvastatin (n = 19)
Placebo (n = 17)
p Value
18 (94.7)
26.3 (20.731.9)
16 (94.1)
24.1 (18.929.2)
0.93
0.53
0.37
3 (15.8)
10 (52.6)
6 (31.6)
0
10 (412)
4
5 (26.3)
2 (10.5)
1 (5.9)
8 (47.1)
6 (35.3)
2 (11.8)
10 (612)
3
3 (17.6)
2 (11.8)
0.33
0.79
0.53
1.00
6 (31.6)
4 (21.1)
9 (47.4)
117.5 (107.7127.3)
75.4 (70.480.3)
97.03 (89.9104.1)
95.4 (86.7104.2)
6 (35.3)
2 (11.8)
9 (52.9)
121.9 (116.4127.4)
76.0 (72.279.8)
101.7 (95.4108.07)
94.1 (86.4101.8)
1.00
0.66
1.00
0.43
0.84
0.30
0.81
15.9 (13.0218.95)
40.1 (35.544.7)
165.9 (131.8200.03)
58 (17218.6)
37 (12183.5)
823 (532140)
14.2 (10.717.7)
38.2 (35.640.89)
133.4 (111.7155.1)
44 (12170)
45 (9148)
565 (1425934)
0.42
0.47
0.10
0.77
0.90
0.80
9 (47.4)
6 (31.6)
8 (42.1)
6 (35.3)
8 (47.1)
3 (17.6)
0.51
0.49
0.15
5 (26.3)
7 (36.8)
3 (15.8)
1 (5.3)
0
4 (23.5)
8 (47.1)
2 (11.8)
2 (11.8)
1 (5.9)
1.00
0.73
1.00
0.59
0.47
* DBP = diastolic blood pressure; EDH = epidural hematoma; MABP = mean arterial blood pressure; SAH = subarachnoid hemorrhage; SBP = systolic blood pressure; SDH = subdural hematoma; WBC = white blood cell.
Mean values are presented as the mean (95% CI). Median values are presented as the median (range). All other values are the
number of patients (%).
light of the limitations of our study. First, even if cytokine levels correspond to outcome after TBI, there are
multiple mechanisms by which plasma markers can be
confounded.9 Second, new evidence strongly suggests
that the biologically relevant compartment for the study
of cytokines in TBI should be the extracellular brain and
not plasma or CSF.8 Third, the time between the TBI and
the measurement of cytokines, as well as the repetition of
the measurement, could be a source of bias. Finally, our
J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013
M. Snchez-Aguilar et al.
TABLE 2: Levels of cytokines on Days 0 and 3
Mean (95% CI)
Rosuvastatin (n = 19)
Cytokine
TNF
IL-1
IL-6
IL-10
Day 0
Placebo (n = 17)
Day 3
18.13 (12.8823.37)*
4.39 (2.296.50)
1.26 (0.771.74)
0.14 (0.110.18)
15.17 (10.2220.13)
4.55 (2.496.60)
0.85 (0.501.19)
0.11 (0.100.12)
Day 0
Day 3
11.44 (9.7113.18)*
2.69 (1.853.52)
0.86 (0.621.09)
0.12 (0.090.16)
12.57 (9.0716.07)
9.83 (2.25 to 21.91)
0.84 (0.381.29)
0.11 (0.090.13)
* p < 0.05.
did not assess the global time to achieve some improvement. In this way, we could not know whether statintreated patients recovered more quickly than controls.
The mixed model analyzing the disability suggested a
trend toward improving functional scale (DRS) score.
Our data agree with the findings of a recent retrospective
cohort study. The authors of that study showed a lowered
risk of in-hospital death and increased chances of achieving good functional recovery 12 months after injury in
older adults who were given statins prior to a head injury.20 Major limitations of this study are the larger number
of deaths in the statin group and patients lost to follow-up
in the placebo group.
For this trial, we selected rosuvastatin because of
the positive results it has had on posttraumatic amnesia
observed in our previous study. Differences in the type
of statin dose and duration of therapy could help explain
some of the inconclusive results. More recent experimental evidence favors the use of simvastatin, a natural lipophilic statin, which displays a better distribution in the
CNS and thus has a better effect after TBI.2 Nevertheless,
a new analysis of the safety of simvastatin questions its
use, because it carries a greater risk of rhabdomyolysis
than do other statins.5 Dose escalation and pharmacological studies in humans that measure drug concentration in
brain tissue and comparing safety of different statins are
necessary to define the role of statins in the management
of TBI.
TABLE 3: Mixed models related to the change of TNF, IL-6, and
IL-10
Cytokine
TNF
rosuvastatin
surgical intervention
interaction btwn treatment & TCDB score
IL-6
rosuvastatin
TCDB score
GCS score <9
IL-10
rosuvastatin
GCS score <9
interaction btwn treatment & GCS score
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F Value
p Value
9.68
4.61
4.72
0.004
0.04
0.004
3.034
6.501
6.881
0.091
0.004
0.013
2.37
4.83
13.33
0.134
0.035
<0.001
Conclusions
p Value
rosuvastatin
surgery
baseline SBP
basal plasma glucose
male sex
IL-6
baseline IL-10
baseline TNF
0.031
0.047
0.019
<0.001
<0.001
0.014
0.016
<0.001
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