Treatment with atorvastatin provides additional benefits to imipenem in a model of Gram-negative pneumonia induced by Klebsiella pneumoniae in mice.

Treatment with atorvastatin provides additional benefits to imipenem in a model of Gram-negative pneumonia induced by Klebsiella pneumoniae in mice. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2018 Feb 20;: Authors: de Paula TP, Santos PC, Duque do Nascimento Arifa R, Vieira AT, de Matos Baltazar L, Ávila TV, Fagundes CT, Garcia ZM, Lima RL, Teixeira MM, Souza DG Abstract The clinical pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae is a relevant cause of nosocomial infections and resistance to current treatment with carbapenem antibiotics is becoming a significant problem. Statins are inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) used for controlling plasma cholesterol levels. There is clinical evidence showing other effects of statins, including decrease of lung inflammation. In the current study, we show that pretreatment with atorvastatin markedly attenuated lung injury, which was correlated with a reduction in the cellular influx into the alveolar space and lungs and down-modulation of the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in the initial phase of infection in C57BL/6 mice with K. pneumoniae However, atorvastatin did not alter the number of bacteria in the lungs and blood of infected mice, despite decreasing local inflammatory response. Interestingly, mice that received combined treatment with atorvastatin and imipenem displayed better survival rate than mice treated with vehicle, atorvastatin or imipenem alone. These findings suggest tha...
Source: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Source Type: research