Atorvastatin attenuates vascular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats via the protein kinase D/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 pathway.

Atorvastatin attenuates vascular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats via the protein kinase D/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 pathway. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2020 Apr 07;: Authors: Yuan H, Wang D, Zhang Y, Geng J Abstract The present study was conducted to determine whether atorvastatin reduces hypertension-induced vascular remodeling and whether its effects involve protein kinase D (PKD) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5). We used 16-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto(WKY) rats. The blood pressure and serum lipid concentration were measured. Changes in the vascular morphology and histology were examined using H&E, Masson, s tricrome, and Sirius Red staining. The media thickness (MT), ratio of MT to lumen diameter (LD) (MT/LD), collagen volume fraction (CVF) and hydroxyproline content were measured to evaluate vascular remodeling. Atorvastatin (50 mg/kg/day) was administered for 8 weeks. Increased blood pressure and vascular remodeling were more prominent in SHRs than in WKY rats. SHRs also had elevated PKD and ERK5 activation. The systolic blood pressure, MT/LD ratio, and hydroxyproline content were positively correlated with the activation level of PKD and ERK5 in SHRs. Atorvastatin significantly attenuated the activation of PKD and ERK5. Overall, this study demonstrated that atorvastatin could reverse vascular remodeling in SHRs. The PKD/ERK5 sign...
Source: Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol Source Type: research