Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
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J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. · Dec 2009
Atorvastatin restores the impaired vascular endothelium-dependent relaxations mediated by nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors but not hypotension in sepsis.
Sepsis has been reported to impair endothelium-dependent vasodilations mediated by nitric oxide (NO) and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). Although some studies demonstrate that statins can improve NO-mediated response in septic animals, little is known about its effect on the EDHF response. The present study examined the effects of atorvastatin pretreatment on sepsis-induced endothelial dysfunctions and hypotension in rats. ⋯ Sepsis abolished this response but atorvastatin restored it (22.55% +/- 2.50%). Atorvastatin, however, failed to prevent sepsis-induced hypotension. These results suggest that atorvastatin can restore impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilations mediated by NO and EDHF but not hypotension in sepsis.