title: Simvastatin reduces caspase-3 activation and inflammatory markers induced by hypoxia-ischemia in the newborn rat.
abstract: The present study was undertaken to evaluate whether in a neonatal model of stroke a prophylactic neuroprotective treatment with simvastatin modulates hypoxia-ischemia-induced inflammatory and apoptotic signaling. Procaspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 expression showed a peak at 24 h and returned to control values after 5 days. Caspase-3 activity followed the same pattern of caspase-3 proteolytic cleavage. In simvastatin-treated ischemic animals, the expression of these proteins and caspase-3 activity were significantly lower when compared to that of ischemic animals. alpha-Spectrin and protein kinase C-alpha (PKCalpha) cleavages were not affected by the treatment. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase fragmentation, caspase-1 activation, and IL-1beta and ICAM-1 mRNA expression were increased by hypoxia-ischemia and significantly reduced in simvastatin-treated animals. The results indicate that simvastatin-induced attenuation of hypoxia-ischemia brain injury in the newborn rat occurs through reduction of the inflammatory response, caspase-3 activation, and apoptotic cell death.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Farmacologia e Farmacognosia, Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo, Via S. Chiara 27, 61029 Urbino, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carloni
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cimino
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: De Simoni
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perego
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scopa
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Balduini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D015415:Biomarkers; D002154:Calpain / Q000378:metabolism; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D007375:Interleukin-1; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D045304:Cytochromes c; D019821:Simvastatin; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; D002154:Calpain; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D020170:Caspase 1