CHRONIC FLUVASTATIN TREATMENT ALTERS VASCULAR CONTRACTION BY INHIBITING THE RHO/RHO‐KINASE PATHWAY

SUMMARY1 In the present study, we investigated the effects of chronic treatment of stroke‐prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) with the statin fluvastatin on vascular Rho/Rho‐kinase pathway mediated contraction, which has been shown to be upregulated in hypertension. 2 Contribution of the Rho/Rho‐kinase pathway to noradrenaline‐induced contraction of arteries from SHRSP was assessed by the inhibitory effect of Y‐27632, a Rho/Rho‐kinase inhibitor. Stroke‐prone spontaneously hypertensive rats were treated with fluvastatin (10 mg/kg per day) for 1 month. 3 Treatment with fluvastatin tended to attenuate the contraction to noradrenaline and significantly decreased the Y‐27632‐sensitive component of the contraction in controls compared with fluvastatin‐treated rats. 4 RhoA, as assessed by western blotting, was also reduced by fluvastatin treatment. 5 These findings suggest that chronic treatment with fluvastatin reduces the contractile response associated with Rho/Rho‐kinase in arteries of hypertensive rats.