Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2007-5-21
pubmed:abstractText
Statins may directly interfere with the effects of angiotensin (Ang) II, which is a key player in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (ATH). Ang II promotes a wide array of detrimental processes including a prominent proinflammatory effect, increasingly regarded as a target for therapeutic intervention. Because the proinflammatory effects of Ang II are exerted mainly through the activation of Ang II type 1 receptors (AT1Rs) the present study was devised to investigate by means of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and flow cytometry techniques the expression of such receptors on circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) from subjects at high risk for vascular events before and during treatment with simvastatin and in sex- and age-matched healthy controls. In vitro experiments were also performed to assess the ability of simvastatin to interfere with Ang II signaling in human PMNs. In comparison to controls, high-risk subjects had similar AT1R expression on the cell membranes but significantly higher AT1R messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels. Treatment of high-risk subjects with simvastatin for 30 days resulted in a reduction of AT1R mRNA down to the levels of cells from healthy subjects. In vitro, Ang II-induced activation of the guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein Rac 1 in human PMNs was inhibited by simvastatin. In conclusion, simvastatin induces downregulation of AT1R expression, interferes with Ang II activity in PMNs, and contributes to the antiinflammatory profile of statins that can explain the therapeutic effects of these drugs.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
0160-2446
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
49
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
299-305
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Aged, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Analysis of Variance, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Biological Markers, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Blotting, Western, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Case-Control Studies, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Cell Membrane, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Coronary Disease, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Down-Regulation, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Female, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Flow Cytometry, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Italy, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Longitudinal Studies, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Male, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Middle Aged, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Neutrophils, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-RNA, Messenger, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Risk Factors, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Signal Transduction, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Simvastatin, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-Treatment Outcome, pubmed-meshheading:17513949-rac1 GTP-Binding Protein
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression in polymorphonuclear leukocytes from high-risk subjects: changes after treatment with simvastatin.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. franca.marino@uninsubria.it
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article