title: Pitavastatin inhibits cardiac hypertrophy in a rat model of progressive renal injury.
abstract: Increased cardiovascular mortality is an unresolved problem of chronic renal failure. Cardiac hypertrophy, observed in many patients with chronic renal failure, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular death. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of pitavastatin on cardiac hypertrophy in a progressive renal injury rat model by subtotal nephrectomy (SNx). Because we previously reported that angiotensin II played a pivotal role in cardiac hypertrophy of SNx rats, we first investigated the effects of pitavastatin on angiotensin II-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and serum response element (SRE) DNA-binding activity using neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Angiotensin II-induced ERK activation was attenuated by pretreatment with pitavastatin. Luciferase assay revealed that angiotensin II-induced increase in SRE DNA-binding activity was inhibited by pitavastatin. We next examined the effect of pitavastatin on cardiac hypertrophy of SNx rats in vivo. Treatment with pitavastatin prevented ERK activation and cardiac hypertrophy in SNx rats without changes in blood pressure. The increased expression of atrial natriuretic factor mRNA in SNx rat hearts was significantly attenuated by the treatment with pitavastatin. These results suggest that pitavastatin has a beneficial effect on cardiac hypertrophy in renal failure through preventing the activation of ERK.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yasuchika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeishi
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arimoto
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shishido
authors.forename: Tsuneo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Konta
authors.forename: Yo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niizeki
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kubota
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000235:genetics; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009392:Nephrectomy; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D011804:Quinolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D011804:Quinolines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D000804:Angiotensin II; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; C108475:pitavastatin