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Toxicity of Atorvastatin on Pancreas Mitochondria: A Justification for Increased Risk of Diabetes Mellitus
Author(s) -
Sadighara Melina,
Amirsheardost Zahra,
Minaiyan Mohsen,
Hajhashemi Valiollah,
Naserzadeh Parvaneh,
Salimi Ahmad,
Seydi Enayatollah,
Pourahmad Jalal
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
basic and clinical pharmacology and toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1742-7843
pISSN - 1742-7835
DOI - 10.1111/bcpt.12656
Subject(s) - atorvastatin , diabetes mellitus , mitochondrion , pancreas , pharmacology , apoptosis , statin , cytochrome c , medicine , reactive oxygen species , endocrinology , chemistry , biochemistry
Statins (including atorvastatin) are a widely used class of drugs, and like all medications, they have a potential for adverse effects. Recently, it has been shown that statins also exert side effects on the pancreas. In vitro studies have suggested that this class of drugs induced a reduction in insulin secretion. Also, the use of statins is associated with a raised risk of diabetes mellitus ( DM ), but the mechanisms underlying statin‐induced diabetes are poorly known. Literature data indicate that several statins are able to induce apoptosis signalling. This study was designed to examine the mechanism of atorvastatin on mitochondria obtained from rat pancreas. In our study, mitochondria were obtained from the pancreas and then exposed to atorvastatin and vehicle to investigate probable toxic effects. The results showed that atorvastatin (25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 μM) increased reactive oxygen species ( ROS ) production, mitochondrial swelling, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release, the orchestrating factor for mitochondria‐mediated apoptosis signalling. Atorvastatin also reduced the ATP levels. These results propose that the toxicity of atorvastatin on pancreas mitochondria is a key point for drug‐induced apoptotic cell loss in the pancreas and therefore a justification for increased risk of DM.