Atorvastatin administered before myocardial infarction in rats improves contractility irrespective of metabolic changes

Author(s)

Lehnen, Tatiana Ederich ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Lehnen, Alexandre Machado ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Vicente Tavares, Angela Maria ^[4] ; Bello-Klein, Adriane ^[4] ; Markoski, Melissa Medeiros ^[3] ; Machado, Ubiratan Fabres ^[5] ; Schaan, Beatriz ^{[1, 2, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Postgrad Program Endocrinol, Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[2] Hosp Clin Porto Alegre, Div Endocrine, BR-90035003 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fdn Cardiol Rio Grande Sul, Inst Cardiol, Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Inst Basic Hlth Sci, Lab Cardiovasc Physiol, Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Physiol & Biophys, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology; v. 41, n. 12, p. 986-994, DEC 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

Statins have a beneficial effect after myocardial infarction, but the relationship between glucose transporters and their use before the event has not yet been studied. We assessed the effects of atorvastatin treatment pre- and post-myocardial infarction on cardiovascular function and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in the heart. Wistar-Kyoto rats were treated with 20 mg/kg atorvastatin or vehicle for 14 days before coronary artery occlusion surgery (myocardial infarction) or sham surgery. Echocardiographic evaluations were carried out 48 h after myocardial infarction (protocol A) and after 7 days (protocol B), when atorvastatin was also administered. Plasma inflammatory markers and GLUT4 in the heart were also evaluated. Animals were divided into the following groups: sham-operated and vehicle (C), myocardial infarction and vehicle (I), sham-operated and atorvastatin (CAt) and myocardial infarction and atorvastatin (IAt). After 48 h, myocardial infarction induced higher left ventricular fractional shortening in IAt versus I (similar to 60%, P = 0.036), and the ejection fraction was lower (protocol A similar to 37%; protocol B similar to 30%). Myocardial infarction was associated with a rise in plasma membrane GLUT4 after 48 h (similar to 40%, P < 0.001), and a reduction in GLUT4 after 7 days (I 25%; IAt 49%, P < 0.001). Atorvastatin treatment for 48 h after the infarction did not change GLUT4 expression, and after 7 days it had an additional negative effect on GLUT4 content (similar to 39%, P = 0.030). In conclusion, atorvastatin treatment pre- and post-myocardial infarction improved myocardial contractility after 48 h, but not after 7 days, and was not associated with an increase in GLUT4 expression. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/04831-1 - New players in glycemic control and chronic complications of Diabetes mellitus: preventive and therapeutic perspectives
• Grantee: Ubiratan Fabres Machado
• Support type: Research Projects - Thematic Grants