title: [Effect of atorvastatin on cardiac function and TGF-β1 signaling pathway after acute myocardial infarction in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of atorvastatin on cardiac remodeling and function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in rats and whether this effect is mediated by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathway.
  
  
  METHODS
  AMI was induced by left coronary artery ligation in 64 male Sprague-Dawley rats, and 45 surviving rats were randomized into control group (n=15), low-dose atorvastatin group (10 mg/kg, n=15) and high-dose atorvastatin group (20 mg/kg, n=15). Similar surgical procedure was performed in sham-operated rats (n=15) without coronary ligation. Atorvastatin was given daily by gavage from the first day after AMI. Eight weeks later, the cardiac function, left ventricular weight/body mass index (LVMI), collagen volume fraction (CVF), and the expressions of TGF-β1 and Smad2 were compared between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AMI caused significantly reduced cardiac function, increased LVMI and CVF, and upregulated expressions of TGF-β1 and Smad2 mRNA and proteins in the control group (P<0.05). The cardiac function, LVMI, and CVF were improved by atorvastatin, which also down-regulated the expressions of TGF-β1 and Smad2 (P<0.05), and the effects were more prominent in high-dose atorvastatin group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Atorvastatin can dose-dependently improve cardiac remodeling and function after AMI in rats, which is mediated by regulating the activity of TGF-β1/Smad2 signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. songyuanbin_163@163.com
authors.forename: Yuanbin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Ruofeng
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.forename: Yuli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Anping
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Weiyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D051899:Smad2 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D011758:Pyrroles; D051899:Smad2 Protein; C497784:Smad2 protein, rat; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D000069059:Atorvastatin