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Atorvastatin administered before myocardial infarction in rats improves contractility irrespective of metabolic changes
Author(s) -
Lehnen Tatiana Ederich,
Lehnen Alexandre Machado,
Tavares Angela Maria Vicente,
BellóKlein Adriane,
Markoski Melissa Medeiros,
Machado Ubiratan Fabres,
Schaan Beatriz
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1440-1681
pISSN - 0305-1870
DOI - 10.1111/1440-1681.12313
Subject(s) - atorvastatin , contractility , myocardial infarction , medicine , cardiology
Summary 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 (~ 60%, P = 0.036), and the ejection fraction was lower (protocol A ~ 37%; protocol B ~ 30%). Myocardial infarction was associated with a rise in plasma membrane GLUT4 after 48 h (~ 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 (~ 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.