Statins are widely used in high-risk patients to reduce the
stroke incidence. However, little has been investigated about the impact of chronic pretreatment with
statins on cerebral ischemic insult following defined
arterial occlusion. To address this in experimental rats, in the present work,
atorvastatin was orally dosed for 1 month to evaluate the outcomes of the subsequent occlusive
stroke induced by
middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Our data was suggestive of potential escalating impact of chronic
atorvastatin (Atv; 10 mg/kg) on neurological function, but not
infarct volume. According to our immunoblotting data, such escalations were consistent with the prominent rise in TNF-α and
IL-6 which paralleled with augmented Bax/Bcl2 ratio and
Caspase-9 activation; however, these were not enough to worsen acute neurodegeneration determined by
Fluoro Jade B staining. Noteworthy, such deteriorating effects were also partly detected in non-ischemic animals. Conclusively, our data are indicative of cerebral proinflammatory effects of chronic Atv which might overwhelm the beneficial pliotropic of the drug and predispose animals' brain to ischemic insult. Further studies on different
statins with discrete pharmacokinetic properties are highly suggested to precisely explore
stroke outcomes following long term prophylactic treatment particularly in primates.