Relationship between statin use and inflammatory bowel disease: Exploring possible implications

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have a chronic, relapsing, remitting course and impose a substantial clinical impact and economic burden. Despite the expansion of therapeutic options, a significant proportion of patients continue to fail to achieve relevant outcomes, representing a difficult-to-overcome therapeutic ceiling and highlighting the need to explore complementary pharmacological strategies. In this context, statins, widely used in cardiovascular prevention, have attracted increasing attention for their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, independent of their lipid-lowering action. This review summarizes the available data on the relationship between statin use and IBD, including preclinical data, observational studies and clinical trials. Experimental studies demonstrate that statins modulate key pathways of intestinal inflammation, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production, improving epithelial barrier function and influencing both innate and adaptive immune responses. Large-scale epidemiological studies further suggest an association between statin use and a reduced risk of IBD onset, as well as a less aggressive clinical course in patients with established disease, with a lower need for corticosteroids, hospitalizations and surgery. Preliminary evidence also indicates a potential role in reducing the risk of colorectal carcinoma associated with chronic inflammation. Although the current data do not yet justify the adoption of statins as a specific treatment for IBD, these findings demonstrate a clear potential for these pharmacological agents to enter the therapeutic armamentarium of IBD.