Pravastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, reduces delayed neuronal death following transient forebrain ischemia in the adult rat hippocampus.
Recent evidence indicates that statins have beneficial effects on the brain in the ischemic condition. However, there is a lack of studies related to the effect of statins on delayed neuronal death. We investigated the effect of prophylactic therapy with pravastatin on delayed neuronal death in the rat hippocampus. The rats were given a daily dose of 20 mg/kg of pravastatin orally for 14 days. Transient forebrain ischemia was induced by the four-vessel occlusion method. Three days after ischemia, surviving neurons of the hippocampal CA1 subfield were counted. Our results demonstrated that prophylactic statin treatment significantly reduced delayed neuronal death after transient forebrain ischemia. Our findings suggest that prophylactic statin treatment may be useful in preventing functional neurological disorders after transient cerebral ischemic insult.
Daimon
Masahiro
M
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Heart Institute of Japan, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan. sdaimon@hij.twmu.ac.jp
Aomi
Shigeyuki
S
Kawamata
Takakazu
T
Kurosawa
Hiromi
H
D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D017035:Pravastatin