Rosuvastatin for Tocilizumab, an Interleukin-6 Receptor Antibody-induced Dyslipidemia in a Diabetic Patient Complicated With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Tocilizumab, which blocks interleukin-6 binding to interleukin-6 receptor, is now approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hyperlipidemia has been reported to be one of the most common adverse effects of tocilizumab, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. To understand lipid metabolism precisely, we measured plasma cytokines, small dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL), oxidized LDL and cholesterol level in each lipoprotein fraction using the high-performance liquid chromatography method before and after the tocilizumab treatment, and also studied the effect of rosuvastatin on tocilizumab-induced dyslipidemia in a diabetic patient complicated with RA. We found that rosuvastatin signifi cantly ameliorated the tocilizumab-induced dyslipidemia.