Effects of atorvastatin on the hypertension-induced oxidative stress in the rat brain

It is well known that the development of brain oxidative stress is one of the most serious complications of arterial hypertension that evokes brain tissue damage. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of atorvastatin treatment (20 mg/kg/day), as an antioxidant, to prevent the brain tissue...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Iranian biomedical journal 2013, Vol.17 (3), p.152-157
Main Authors: Mohammadi, Mohammad Taghi, Amini, Reza, Jahanbakhsh, Zahra, Shekarforoush, Shahnaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Atorvastatin Calcium
Blood Pressure - drug effects
Brain - drug effects
Brain - enzymology
Brain - pathology
Brain - physiopathology
Cardiomegaly - pathology
Cardiomegaly - physiopathology
Catalase - metabolism
Glutathione - metabolism
Heptanoic Acids - pharmacology
Hypertension - pathology
Hypertension - physiopathology
Male
Malondialdehyde - metabolism
Original
Oxidative Stress - drug effects
Pyrroles - pharmacology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism
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Summary:It is well known that the development of brain oxidative stress is one of the most serious complications of arterial hypertension that evokes brain tissue damage. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of atorvastatin treatment (20 mg/kg/day), as an antioxidant, to prevent the brain tissue oxidative stress in the hypertensive (HTN) rats. Experiments were performed in four groups of rats (n = 5 each group): sham, sham-treated, HTN and HTN treated. Rats were made HTN by aortic constriction above the renal arteries. After 30 days, rats were slaughtered under deep anesthesia to remove brain hemispheres. After tissue homogenization, enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), as well as glutathione (GSH) content and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were determined by biochemical methods. In HTN rats, arterial blood pressure was increased about 40% and brain enzyme activities of SOD and CAT were significantly decreased compared with sham group. Induction of hypertension significantly decreased GSH content and increased MDA level of brain tissue. Treatment with atorvastatin enhanced the activity of SOD and prevented from GSH decrement during hypertension. Based on the findings of this study, treatment with atorvastatin might have saved the brain tissue of HTN rats from hypertension-induced oxidative stress.
ISSN:1028-852X
2008-823X
DOI:10.6091/ibj.1189.2013