title: Regulation of phospholamban and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase by atorvastatin: implication for cardiac hypertrophy.
abstract: Abnormal intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis in the myocardium has been suggested as the cause of cardiac hypertrophy, and this process can be prevented by the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, statins. In the present study, the effect of atorvastatin on left ventricular hypertrophy was investigated, and then whether the underlying mechanism was related to a defect in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis explored. Twelve spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), at 8 weeks old, were used in this study, and received either distilled water or atorvastatin for ten weeks, with age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) used as controls. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of phospholamban (PLB) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a), respectively, and a colorimetric method used to examine the SERCA2a activity. Additionally, cardiac hypertrophic indices, such as the cardiosomatic ratio, left ventricular weight to body weight (LVW/BW) ratio and cardiomyocytes transverse diameter (TDM), together with the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and serum lipids levels were also examined. After ten weeks, significant decreases were observed in both the mRNA and protein expression levels of SERCA2a, as well as its activity, in the hypertrophied hearts of the SHR. The administration of atorvastatin to the same strains of rats effectively inhibited these decreases, and the above cardiac hypertrophic indices, as well as the SBP and serum lipids levels were significantly decreased. However, no significant changes in the expressions of PLB were observed in WKY, SHR and atorvastatin-treated SHR. These findings demonstrated that through regulation of the PLB and SERCA2a levels in the hearts of SHR, atorvastatin can prevent the cardiac hypertrophy caused due to pressure overload, which provides a relatively new insight into the mechanism of atorvastatin in the prevention of cardiac hypertrophy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, PR China.
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Shen-Jiang
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000235:genetics*; D013599:Systole / Q000187:drug effects; D000099211:Phospholamban
chemical_list: D000069059:Atorvastatin; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008055:Lipids; D011758:Pyrroles; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D000099211:Phospholamban