Effect of atorvastatin on atherosclerotic plaque formation and platelet activation in hypercholesterolemic rats
We aimed to investigate whether atorvastatin influenced the CD40–CD40L pathway in atherosclerosis formation in rats fed a high cholesterol diet. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided among 4 groups as follows: control (C), statin (S), 5% cholesterol fed (HC), and statin-administered
hypercholesterolemic (HCS). Serum levels of lipids, soluble CD40L, platelet factor 4, and interleukin-6 were assayed with commercial kits. The number of platelets expressing surface P-selectin, CD40, and CD40L were determined by flow cytometry. Aortas were examined for fatty streaks. In the
HC group, we observed a significant increase in serum lipid levels and platelet activation markers compared with the control group. Rats in the HCS group had a significant decrease in lipid levels and downregulation in the number of platelets expressing surface P-selectin, CD40, and CD40L
compared with the HC group. We observed decreased fatty streak formations in aortas in HCS rats. A positive correlation was found for platelet activation markers and atherosclerotic fatty streak formations. Regression analysis revealed that the predictor of atherosclerosis was CD40L. Our study
suggests that in a rat hypercholesterolemic model, statin treatment may influence the CD40–CD40L dyad, and that this effect is parallelled by a suppression of progression of atherosclerotic plaque formation.
Keywords: CD40; CD40L; P-selectin; P-sélectine; activation des plaquettes; hypercholesterolemia; hypercholestérolémie; platelet activation; statin; statine
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Bozok University, 66200 Yozgat, Turkey. 2: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey. 3: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey.
Publication date: 01 January 2013
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