title: Stabilization of atherosclerotic plaque by pitavastatin in Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits: A serial tissue-characterizing intravascular ultrasound study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To examine the effects of pitavastatin on atherosclerotic plaque in Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits using serial in vivo tissue-characterizing intravascular ultrasound.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 11 WHHL rabbits of 10-12 weeks of age were divided into two groups, control and pitavastatin-administered groups. A total of 29 atherosclerotic plaque segments from control group and 43 plaque segments from the pitavastatin group were serially imaged by 40MHz intravascular ultrasound in vivo with a tissue characterization software (iMAP™, Boston Scientific, Natick, MA, USA) at the baseline and the follow-up (16th week).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly decreased in pitavastatin group. During the follow-up period, plaque area was significantly increased in the control group, whereas it was not significantly changed in the pitavastatin group. The fibrotic, necrotic, and necrotic plus lipidic areas were significantly increased in the control group, while no significant change was revealed for tissue profile in pitavastatin group. The change in the percent areas of fibrotic and lipidic plus necrotic tissues were significantly different between the two groups especially in the superficial half portion of plaque.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data indicate that pitavastatin could attenuate atherosclerotic plaque formation and that it could stabilize the plaque in WHHL rabbits. Considering the fact that these were observed even with a high follow-up level of cholesterol, these data might come from the pleiotropic effects of pitavastatin.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haruta
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: hiro.takafumi@nihon-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitsumata
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadateru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsumasa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sudo
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Section of Laboratory Animals, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Pathophysiology, Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiomi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirayama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011817:Rabbits; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008055:Lipids; D011804:Quinolines; C108475:pitavastatin
keywords: Intravascular ultrasound; Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; Plaque; Statin; WHHL-MI rabbit