Study Of Preventive Effect Of Simvastatin On Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension And Its Mechanism

Objective To observe the role of simvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, in synthesis and excretion of endothelin-1(ET-1) in hypoxically cultured endothelial cell.To investigate the preventive effect of simvastatin on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and its mechanism.Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were hypoxically cultured and treated with simvastatin by different concentration and different time. Mevalonate was used to intervent the effect of simvastatin. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunodsordent assay (ELISA) were adopted to measure ET-1mRNA and ET-1 in supernatant fluid of endothelial cell. Thirty male Sprague-Drawley rats were randomly allocated into three groups: control group, hypoxic group and simvastatin preventive group. The animal model of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension was established by exposing the rats to normobaric hypoxic condition for three weeks, and the preventive group were treated with simvastatin 10mg/kg before hypoxic processing. The mean pulmonary pressure (mPAP) was measured through inserting catheter and the...