Statin and anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD): an experimental study

Anemia is a common feature of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The current management of patients with anemia in CKD is controversial. These make anemia is one of the leading causes poor outcome in CKD patients. Our study focus to assess the effect of statin on hemoglobin level with an experimental model of CKD. We perform the animal model of CKD by subtotal nephrectomy procedure. A total of 20 male swiss was used in these study. All the animal divided into 4 groups: sham group (S), nephrectomy (Nx), simvastatin group 5 mg/kgBB (SV5), and simvastatin group 10 mg/kgBB (SV10). Hematological parameters (hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cells (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)), and serum creatinine are measured at the end of the study. The hemoglobin levels in the Ux group decreased significantly compared with the S group (11.02 +/- 0.46 vs 14.3 +/- 0.15, p<0.0001). While in the SV group, statin administration led to an increase in hemoglobin levels compared with the Ux group but not statistically significant (SV5: 13.26 +/- 0.34; Sv10: 12.68 +/- 0.26). These results suggest that administration of statins in CKD may improve the condition of anemia by an unknown mechanism, while still requiring other treatment options to maximize the effect of therapy.