Retirada do tratamento com atorvastatina e o dano por espécies reativas no córtex cerebral de ratos

Abstract

Statins are drugs used in dislipidemias treatment. These agents are reversible inhibitors of the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis,the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, and preventing de conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate. Besides reducing the plasma cholesterol, statins also present effects which seem cholesterol-independent, the so-called pleiotropic effects of statins. Date in literature has been shown that HMG-CoA inhibitors display neuroprotective properties, mainly related to improvement in vascular function due to increase in nitric oxide production, in this context, this class of drugs has proven usefull in treatment and prevention of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer´s and Parkinson´s. On the other hand, studies based on clinical data have shown that after abrupt discontinuation of statin therapy occurs a period in which the protective properties are lost, and deleterious effects are activated, leading to the appearance of rebound deterioration of vasculature which seems to be associated with alterations in enzymes activities endhotelial nitric oxide synthase and NADPH oxidase. However, little is known about whether these effects of statin withdrawal syndrome in the central nervous system. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of atorvastatin treatment withdrawal in the rat cerebral cortex. For this purpose, different parameters of oxidative/nitrosative stress were measured, including nitric oxide levels, the immunoreactivity for damage markers 3-nitrotyrosine, 4-hydroxynonenal and carbonyl, the activity of pro-oxidant enzymes NADPH oxidase and xanthine oxidase and the activity of antioxidant enzymes mitochondrial and citoplasmatic superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione-S-transferase. The results indicate that atorvastatin withdrawal decreases mitochondrial superoxide dismutase activity and increases NADPH oxidase activity, which may increase superoxide radical levels. Associated with this was seen a decreased in the level of nitric oxide ans increased in 3-nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity, suggesting that superoxide is reacting with nitric oxide leading the formation of peroxinitrite, which leads to proteins nitration. Increasing in the 3-NT/MnSOD ratio, and enzyme expression seen by western blot confirms the assumption that MnSOD is being nitrated, that nitration leads to lower superoxide detoxification. In conclusion, withdrawal of atorvastatin treatment occasioned oxidative/nitrosative damage in the rat cerebral cortex due to alterations in pro-oxidant and antioxidant enzymes activities.