Simvastatin attenuates intestinal ischaemia/reperfusion-induced injury in rat

B. Hajipour; M.H. Somi; F. Saberifar; M.R. Hemmati; N.A. Asl; A. Moein; A.M. Vatankhah; A.R. Nourazar; M.R. Nasirizade

Vol 68, No 3 (2009)

Original article

Submitted: 2012-02-06

Published online: 2009-05-13

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Simvastatin attenuates intestinal ischaemia/reperfusion-induced injury in rat

B. Hajipour, M.H. Somi, F. Saberifar, M.R. Hemmati, N.A. Asl, A. Moein, A.M. Vatankhah, A.R. Nourazar, M.R. Nasirizade

Folia Morphol 2009;68(3):156-162.

Vol 68, No 3 (2009)

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Submitted: 2012-02-06

Published online: 2009-05-13

Abstract

Ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is commonly seen in the field of intestine surgical interventions, shock, trauma, and many other clinical conditions. Simvastatin is known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigated the effect of simvastatin administration in a warm intestinal I/R model on TNF-α, antioxidant enzymes and intestinal tissue morphology.
Thirty-six male wistar rats underwent laparotomy under general anaesthesia. Simvastatin was administered from four days before ischaemia induction. The rats were divided in to three groups (n = 12): the sham goup, the I/R group, and the I/R + simvastatin group. Intestinal ischaemia was induced by superior mesenteric artery ligation with microvascular clamps for 60 minutes, and after ischaemia, blood perfusion was released into the tissue and a reperfusion phase was started, which lasted for 3 hours. After 3 hours, the animals were sacrificed and serum and tissue obtained for biochemical and histological study. In the simvastatin treated group, intestinal tissue injury, TNF-α level, and tissue malondealdehyde levels were significantly lower than in the I/R group (p < 0.05). Glutathion peroxidase and superoxide dismutase levels were significantly higher in the simvastatin treated group than in the I/R group (p < 0.05).
Simvastatin pretreatment reduced intestinal I/R injury and was associated with down- -regulation of serum TNF-α and tissue malondealdehyde level, and simvastatin administration maintained cellular antioxidant enzyme contents compared to the I/R group after 3 hours reperfusion time.