title: Simvastatin mitigates functional and structural impairment of lung and right ventricle in a rat model of cigarette smoke-induced COPD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study is conducted to investigate an effect of simvastatin on cigarette smoke-induced COPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were exposed to air (control) and cigarette smoke (smoking) in presence and absence of simvastatin. Heart and lung tissues were harvested for histopathologic and morphometric analysis. Body weight of rat, mean liner intercept (MLI), mean alveolar number (MAN), lung function test, mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) and 5-HTT level in serum and BALF were examined in experimental rats, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Application of simvastatin mitigated peribronchiolar inflammation and pulmonary bullae formed in the smoke-exposed lungs with weight gain as compared to the smoking rats (P < 0.05). Simvastatin-treated rats showed slight but significant decreases in MLI and MAN with a partial reversal of lung function decline (all P < 0.05). Treatment with simvastatin resulted in a significant decrease not only in mPAP and RVHI but also in a 5-HTT level in serum and BALF (P < 0.01 or 0.05) with a good correlation between the 5-HTT level and mPAP or RVHI (r = 0.693 and 0.479; 0.675 and 0.508).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Simvastatin partly reverses lung function decline and attenuates structural impairments of lung and right ventricle possibly through reducing 5-HTT content in the model of COPD.
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Hosptial of Hebei Medical University 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhunag 050000, China.
authors: Yajie
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Hosptial of Hebei Medical University 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhunag 050000, China.
authors: Xue
authors: X
authors: Jiang
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Hosptial of Hebei Medical University 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhunag 050000, China.
authors: Lihai
authors: L
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Hosptial of Hebei Medical University 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhunag 050000, China.
authors: Lihong
authors: L
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Hosptial of Hebei Medical University 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhunag 050000, China.
authors: Zhu
authors: Z
authors: Li
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Hosptial of Hebei Medical University 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhunag 050000, China.
authors: Wuzhuang
authors: W
authors: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C482440:Sert1 protein, rat; D019821:Simvastatin
keywords: 5-hydroxytryptamine transporter; Simvastatin; cigarette smoke; peribronchiolar inflammation and pulmonary bullae