title: Atorvastatin administered before myocardial infarction in rats improves contractility irrespective of metabolic changes.
abstract: Statins have a beneficial effect after myocardial infarction, but the relationship between glucose transporters and their use before the event has not yet been studied. We assessed the effects of atorvastatin treatment pre- and post-myocardial infarction on cardiovascular function and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in the heart. Wistar-Kyoto rats were treated with 20 mg/kg atorvastatin or vehicle for 14 days before coronary artery occlusion surgery (myocardial infarction) or sham surgery. Echocardiographic evaluations were carried out 48 h after myocardial infarction (protocol A) and after 7 days (protocol B), when atorvastatin was also administered. Plasma inflammatory markers and GLUT4 in the heart were also evaluated. Animals were divided into the following groups: sham-operated and vehicle (C), myocardial infarction and vehicle (I), sham-operated and atorvastatin (CAt) and myocardial infarction and atorvastatin (IAt). After 48 h, myocardial infarction induced higher left ventricular fractional shortening in IAt versus I (~ 60%, P = 0.036), and the ejection fraction was lower (protocol A ~ 37%; protocol B ~ 30%). Myocardial infarction was associated with a rise in plasma membrane GLUT4 after 48 h (~ 40%, P < 0.001), and a reduction in GLUT4 after 7 days (I 25%; IAt 49%, P < 0.001). Atorvastatin treatment for 48 h after the infarction did not change GLUT4 expression, and after 7 days it had an additional negative effect on GLUT4 content (~ 39%, P = 0.030). In conclusion, atorvastatin treatment pre- and post-myocardial infarction improved myocardial contractility after 48 h, but not after 7 days, and was not associated with an increase in GLUT4 expression.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Endocrinology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Endocrine Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Institute of Cardiology/University Foundation of Cardiology of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiana Ederich
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Lehnen
authors.forename: Alexandre Machado
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lehnen
authors.forename: Angela Maria Vicente
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.forename: Adriane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belló-Klein
authors.forename: Melissa Medeiros
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Markoski
authors.forename: Ubiratan Fabres
authors.initials: UF
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schaan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000069059:Atorvastatin; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4 / Q000378:metabolism; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D011758:Pyrroles; C495694:Slc2a4 protein, rat; D000069059:Atorvastatin
keywords: atorvastatin; glucose transporter 4; myocardial infarction