Atorvastatin attenuates cardiomyocyte loss in adult rats from protein-restricted dams.
BACKGROUND
Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs that have been proved to prevent cardiac events. Their direct effects on cardiac remodeling, when administered in programmed protein restricted animals, still are unknown.


RESULTS
Wistar male 6-month-old offspring from dams fed normal protein (NP, 19% of protein) or low-protein (LP, 5% of protein) during pregnancy and first 10 days after birth were studied. After weaning, male pups were allocated to untreated or treated groups with atorvastatin (low and high doses, 5 or 30 mg.kg.day) in two different periods (from 21 days old to 3 months old and from 3 to 6 months old). The blood pressure (BP) was 30% greater in untreated LP offspring than in treated offspring (from 165 +/- 6 mm Hg to 127 +/- 3 mm Hg, P < .01). After 1 month of treatment, only untreated LP offspring continued with high BP. Compared with untreated LP offspring, atorvastatin reduced blood glucose (less 30%, P < .05) and cardiomyocyte size (less 24%, P < .05), whereas untreated LP offspring had greater interstitial fibrosis (plus 74%, P < .01), reduction of myocardial vascularization (less 25%, P < .01) and major reduction of cardiomyocyte number (less 38%, P < .01) than treated LP offspring.


CONCLUSIONS
Atorvastatin from 3 to 6 months olds in both low and high doses (but not from 0 to 3 months) has beneficial effects improving myocardial vascularization by diminishing fibrosis and cardiomyocyte loss.
Bezerra
Daniele Gonçalves
DG
Laboratory of Morphometry and Cardiovascular Morphology, Biomedical Centre, Institute of Biology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Av 28 de Setembro, 87 (fds)-20551-030 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Lacerda Andrade
Lívia Marinho
LM
Pinto da Cruz
Fernanda Ornellas
FO
Mandarim-de-Lacerda
Carlos Alberto
CA
D000818:Animals; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D006332:Cardiomegaly; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted; D005355:Fibrosis; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; D008297:Male; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects*; D010477:Perfusion; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D011758:Pyrroles; D000069059:Atorvastatin