Objective:Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is released from activated platelets.Statins are the commonly used anti-atherosclerotic drug.The purpose of this study is to observe whether atorvastatin could decrease the plasma LPA levels in ischemic stroke patients.Methods:A total of 386 subjects,including the 247 ischemic stroke cases and 139 healthy controls,were enrolled in this study.The 247 ischemic stroke cases were divided into Group A (n=109) and Group B (n=138) who had and had not received atorvastatin treatment before a stroke respectively.The plasma LPA levels of all the subjects were measured using chromatography.Results:There was significant diffidence in the LPA levels between cases and controls (3.22+1.51 μmol/L vs.1.83+1.07 μmol/L,p<0.01).The plasma LPA level in Group A was lower than that of Group B (2.66+1.23 μmol/L vs.3.83+1.14 μmol/L,p<0.01).Atorvastatin (20mg/ d) significantly reduced LPA levels in ischemic stroke patients (n=138) compared with that before atorvastatin administration (1.96+0.87 μmol/L vs.3.83+1.14 μmol/L,p<0.01).However,the LPA levels re-elevated after atorvastatin withdrawl for one month.Atorvastatin could decrease the plasma LPA levels in patients with ischemic stroke,which providing a better understanding of how statins protect against ischemic stroke.Conclusion:It is plausible to speculate that statins might have an effect of anti platelet activation.