[Effects of atorvastatin on ischemic acute renal failure in aging rats].

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Aging (O) rats have a greater susceptibility to renal ischemia than young (Y) rats due to an endothelial dysfunction partially reversed by exogenous administration of L-Arginine. Since statins are able to increase nitric oxide (NO) production, aim of the study was to evaluate whether pre-treatment with atorvastatin (ATO, 10 mg/kg/day for 12 days), had positive effects on ischemic acute renal failure (ARF) of aging rats.

METHODS:

Renal clearance studies (inulin) were performed 24 hours after ischemia in 6 Groups (n=6 in each Group) of both Y- and O-rats: control rats (CON), untreated rats with ARF (Groups IRA), and rats with ARF but pretreated with ATO (Groups ATO+IRA).

RESULTS:

Renal ischemia determined a sharper decrease in GFR of Group O-IRA than Y-IRA (-80% and -63% vs respective CON, both p<0.001). In both Groups the fall in GFR was secondary to renal vasoconstriction and the consequent reduction in renal plasma flow. Pre-treatment with ATO did not modify GFR in Group Y-ATO+IRA, but was able to determine a marked rise in GFR of rats of O-ATO+IRA Group (+100% vs O-IRA), through a reduction in renal vascular resistances. Induction of ARF greatly enhanced nitrate excretion in Group Y-IRA, but slightly affected Group O-ARF. Administration of ATO did not modify nitrite excretion in Y rats, whereas it was able to increase nitrate excretion in O-ATO+ARF rats (+111% vs O-IRA).

CONCLUSIONS:

Pre-treatment with ATO is able to improve the renal response to ischemia in aging rats, through a mechanism which likely is NO-dependent.

• Authors: A Pisani, F Uccello, A Cesaro, N Comi, F Mirenghi, V Serio, M Sabbatini
• Journal: Giornale italiano di nefrologia : organo ufficiale della Societa italiana di nefrologia (G Ital Nefrol) 2002 Sep-Oct Vol. 19 Issue 5 Pg. 534-9 ISSN: 0393-5590 [Print] Italy
• Vernacular Title: Effetti della atorvastatina nell'insufficienza renale acuta ischemica del ratto anziano.
• PMID: 12439842 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Heptanoic Acids
• Nitric Oxide Donors
• Pyrroles
• Inulin
• Atorvastatin

Topics

• Acute Kidney Injury (diet therapy, drug therapy, pathology)
• Aging (metabolism)
• Animals
• Atorvastatin
• Diet, Protein-Restricted
• Disease Susceptibility
• Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
• Endothelium, Vascular (pathology)
• Glomerular Filtration Rate
• Heptanoic Acids (therapeutic use)
• Hypertrophy
• Inulin (blood)
• Ischemia (drug therapy)
• Kidney (blood supply, pathology)
• Kidney Glomerulus (pathology)
• Ligation
• Male
• Nitric Oxide Donors (therapeutic use)
• Premedication
• Pyrroles (therapeutic use)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Renal Artery