Protective effect of pitavastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, on ischemia-induced neuronal damage.
We investigated the neuroprotective effects of a novel 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor (pitavastatin) on ischemic neuronal damage in gerbils using immunohistochemistry. The animals were allowed to survive for 14 days after 5 min of ischemia induced by bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries. Five days after ischemia, severe neuronal cell loss was observed in the hippocampal CA1 sector. Prophylactic treatment with pitavastatin dose-dependently prevented the hippocampal CA1 neuronal cell loss 5 days after ischemia. Immunohistochemical study did not show the change of nNOS and iNOS expression in the hippocampus except for, in a few regions, up to 1 day after ischemia. Thereafter, the expression of iNOS was observed in the hippocampal CA1 sector 5 and 14 days after ischemia. In contrast, the expression of nNOS and eNOS gradually decreased in the hippocampal CA1 sector up to 14 days after ischemia. Prophylactic treatment with pitavastatin also prevented the expression of iNOS and the decrease of eNOS expression and the number of nNOS-positive cells in the hippocampal CA1 sector 5 days after ischemia. However, prophylactic treatment with pitavastatin at a dose of 10 mg kg(-1) did not change the immunoreactivity of iNOS and nNOS in the hippocampus at an early phase after ischemia. In contrast, this drug prevented the reduction of eNOS immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 neurons at an early phase after ischemia. These findings demonstrate that the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor pitavastatin can protect hippocampal CA1 neurons after transient forebrain ischemia through up-regulation of eNOS expression in this region. Thus pharmacological modulation of eNOS expression may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for cerebral ischemic stroke.
Kurosaki
R
R
Department of Drug Metabolism and Therapeutics, Graduate School and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.
Muramatsu
Y
Y
Kato
H
H
Araki
T
T
D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011804:Quinolines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D011804:Quinolines; C108475:pitavastatin