Statins are widely used in the treatment of
hyperlipidemia, as they inhibit
cholesterol synthesis. They also have anti-inflammatory,
antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and positive endothelial-functional effects. It is hypothesized that
simvastatin ameliorates pulmonary damage secondary to
peritonitis in rats. Forty Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups. In
sham group,
laparotomy was the standard procedure. In
simvastatin group,
simvastatin was given perorally before
laparotomy. In
sepsis group, peritoneal
sepsis was constituted by cecal
ligation and
puncture technique. In sepsis + simvastatin group, the procedures of
simvastatin and
sepsis groups were applied together. After sacrification at the 72nd hour, tissue samples from lungs were harvested for histopathological examination, wet and dry weight measurements, and tissue culture, tissue
malondialdehyde, and
nitric oxide tests. Blood samples were taken for
C-reactive protein and whole blood count. While the
malondialdehyde levels were found to be significantly higher in
sepsis group,
nitric oxide levels were found to be significantly lower in simvastatin + sepsis group. Alveolar
hemorrhage was highest in simvastatin + sepsis group. There was no difference for
C-reactive protein, leukocyte levels, and histopathological examination between any groups. The ratios of wet and dry lung weights were higher in
simvastatin-given groups.
Simvastatin has no positive effect in terms of lung dysfunction on experimental
sepsis model. For a better understanding of the effects of
simvastatin on
lung injury in peritoneal
sepsis, experimental models of longer duration that enable to search the effects of
simvastatin beyond 3 days will be more useful.