title: Rho kinase inhibitor fasudil mitigates high-cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and vascular damage.
abstract: The current study was designed to investigate the potential beneficial therapeutic outcome of Rho kinase inhibitor (fasudil) against hypercholesterolemia-induced myocardial and vascular injury in rabbits together with diet modification. Sixteen male rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: normal control group which received standard rabbit chow, hypercholesterolemic control group, and treated groups which received cholesterol-rich rabbit chow (1.5% cholesterol) for 8 weeks. Treated groups received either fasudil (100 mg/kg/day) or rosuvastatin (2.5 mg/kg/day) starting from the ninth week for further 4 weeks with interruption of the cholesterol-rich chow. Biochemical assessment of serum cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and myocardial oxidative/antioxidant biomarkers malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione (GSH), besides biochemical assessment of serum nitric oxide (NO), creatine kinase (CK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), was conducted. Serum vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and serum Rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK-1) were also evaluated along with histopathological examination of aorta specimens. Fasudil administration significantly decreased serum cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), and LDL and significantly increased serum HDL, with concomitant decrease in serum CK and LDH activities, NO, and restoration of serum TAC. Myocardial MDA significantly declined; SOD activity and GSH contents were restored. Serum ROCK-1 and VCAM-1 levels significantly declined as well. Vascular improvement was confirmed with histopathological examination, which revealed normal aortic intema with the absence of atheromas. Fasudil has promising anti-atherogenic activity mediated primarily via alleviation of hypercholesterolemia-induced oxidative stress and modulation of inflammatory response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nibrass Taher
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Abdali
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
authors.forename: Awny H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Yaseen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt. emansaid@mans.edu.eg.
authors.forename: Eman
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Said
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
authors.forename: Tarek M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011817:Rabbits; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D014280:Triglycerides; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D002784:Cholesterol; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D005978:Glutathione; C049347:fasudil
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Fasudil; Hypercholesterolemia; Rho kinase inhibitor; Rosuvastatin; VCAM