The Effect of Atorvastatin on Improving Ventricular Remodeling and its Mechanism

Objective To study the effect of atorvastatin on improving ventricular remodeling and its mechanism.Methods Eighteen 16-week-old male spontaneously hypertension rats(SHR) were randomly divided into three groups.Each group has six rats: atorvastatin group,positive control group(valsartan group) and negative control group(SHR group).Besides,six same old male Wistar-Kyoto rats(WKY) were served as normal control group.All rats in atorvastatin group and valsartan group were treated with atorvastatin or valsartan for 6 weeks,respectively.Then the entire heart weight(HW),left ventricle weight(LVW),left ventricle weight index(LVWI),the levels of myocardial hydroxyproline and collagen protein in three group's rats were measured.Ultrastructure of cardiac muscle was observed with transmission electron microscope.The levels of serum and myocardial SOD,MDA were also measured.Results After 6 weeks treatment,HW,LVW,LVWI,the levels of myocardial hydroxyproline and collagen protein in atorvastatin group were significantly lower than those in SHR group(P0.05).Electron microscope displayed that compared with SHR group,myofibrils were clearer,their rank was orderly,transverse striations in them were clear and interstitial collagen fibers didn't obviously hyperplasy in cardiac muscle of atorvastatin group.The levels of serum and myocardial SOD in atorvastatin group were significantly higher,while the levels of serum and myocardial MDA were significantly lower than those in SHR group (P0.05).Conclusions Atorvastatin can improve cardiac ventricle remodeling obviously,the mechanism of which may be related with antioxidation.