Effects of atorvastatin on airway infl ammation and airway remodeling in rats with asthma

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-7386.2016.18.001

Abstract：Objective To observe the effects of atorvastatin on airway inflammation and airway remodeling in rats with asthma caused by ovalbumin.Methods Twenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups:control group, asthma model group and atorvastatin group,with 8 rats in each group.The rats in control group were given 0.9%sodium chloride solution, the rats in asthma model group were sensitized and stimulated by ovalbumin, however,the rats in atorvastatin group were given orally atorvastatin before sensitization.The airway expiratory resistance was detected by pulmonary function test for the three groups,and the inner circumference and area of bronchus wall,the area of tracheal smooth muscle were measured by image analysis software.The airway collagen deposition was detected by Masson stainingand,and the serum levels of interleukin-13 (IL-13) and transforming growth factorβ1 (TGF-β1) were measured by ELISA.Results The average expiratory resistance in asthma model group was significantly higher than that in control group and atorvastatin group (P <0.05).The pathological examination showed that the airway inflammation in asthma model group was more obvious than that in control group and atorvastatin group.There were significant differences in the area of bronchus wall and the area of tracheal smooth muscle between atorvastatin group and asthma model group ( P <0.05).The collagen deposition in pulmonary tissues in atorvastatin group was significantly decreased,as compared with that in asthma model group ( P <0.05).The expression levels of IL-13 and TGF-β1in atorvastatin group were significantly decreased,as compared with those in asthma model group ( P <0.05).Conclusion Atorvastatin can obviously relieve the airway inflammation and decrease airway basic resistance in rats with asthma,moreover,which can lessen the collagen deposition in lung tissues and decrease the area of bronchus wall and area of tracheal smooth muscle to alleviate airway remodeling.Moreover atorvastatin can decrease the expression levels of IL-13 and TGF-β1, which may be the action mechanism in alleviating inflammation and airway remodeling.