Rosuvastatin increased serum osteocalcin levels independent of its serum cholesterol-lowering effect in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia.

OBJECTIVE

Accumulating evidence suggests that statins might positively affect bone metabolism. In the present study, we compared the effect of rosuvastatin with that of ezetimibe on bone turnover markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as hypercholesterolemia.

METHODS

A total of 36 Japanese patients were enrolled in this open-label study and randomized to either rosuvastatin (2.5 mg/day) or ezetimibe (10 mg/day) groups at Shimane University Hospital. Bone turnover markers, such as bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, serum osteocalcin, urinary N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen, and urinary deoxypyridinoline, were collected and compared between at baseline and at 3 months of treatment in each group.

RESULTS

Background data was not significantly different between the two groups. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly decreased at 3 months in both groups. Serum osteocalcin levels in the rosuvastatin group were significantly increased with mean changes of 0.48 (95% confidence interval; 0.05 to 0.91, p=0.03), while no other bone marker in the ezetimibe group was changed. Changes in total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels were not significantly correlated with the changes in bone turnover markers.

CONCLUSIONS

Rosuvastatin may have a beneficial effect on bone metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia by stimulating osteoblast function and bone formation, which seems to be independent of its cholesterol-lowering effect.