title: Rosuvastatin beneficially alters the glomerular structure of kidneys from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).
abstract: The incidence of chronic renal diseases is increasing worldwide, and there is a great need to identify therapies capable of arresting or reducing disease progression. The current treatment of chronic nephropathies is limited to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, but increasing clinical and experimental evidence suggests that statins could play a therapeutic role. Ultrastructural studies have shown the presence of gap junctions within all the cells of the glomerulus and podocytes have been found to contain primarily connexin-43. The present study aims to observe the beneficial effects of rosuvastatin on structural and ultrastructural renal morphology and on glomerular connexin-43 expression in normotensive rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Rats were randomly allocated into four groups: WKY-C: normotensive animals no receiving rosuvastatin; WKY-ROS: normotensive animals receiving rosuvastatin; SHR-C: hypertensive animals no receiving rosuvastatin; SHR-ROS: hypertensive animals receiving rosuvastatin. Our results show no differences in blood urea, creatinine, uric acid and creatine phosphokinase levels between the groups, however, there was an decreasing of 24-h protein excretion in SHR-ROS. Capsular area in SHR-ROS was decreased, however, there was no alteration in urinary space. By transmission electron microscopy the slit diaphragm and podocyte foot processes were more preserved in SHR-ROS. By scanning electron microscopy the podocyte foot processes were more preserved in SHR-ROS. Increased connexin-43 immunofluorescence was observed in glomeruli of WKY-ROS and SHR-ROS. In conclusion, we hypothesize that renal pleiotropic effect of rosuvastatin can be a therapeutic tool for improving kidney ultrastructure and, consequently, renal function in hypertensive individuals.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ultraestrutura e Biologia Tecidual, Departamento de Histologia e Embriologia, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. 28 de setembro, 87, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20551-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Erica Peres
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: de Barros
authors.forename: Angélica Beatriz
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Garcia-Pinto
authors.forename: Priscilla Yório
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Mário José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: dos Santos Pereira
authors.forename: Jorge José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011507:Proteinuria; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium