Abstract
Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) plays a central role in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, which may be mediated through its formation of biliverdin/bilirubin and carbon monoxide. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) induce in vitro HO-1 expression and are reported to have pleiotropic benefits that reduce oxidative stress in the vasculature. We characterized the effects of statins on in vivo HO-1 expression in various extravascular tissues: liver, lung, brain, and heart. Adult mice were orally administered simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin, or rosuvastatin. HO activity significantly increased in a statin- and tissue-specific manner, with all statins increasing heart and lung activity within 24 h. Significant elevations of HO-1 protein and mRNA were also observed in heart and lung after atorvastatin treatment. We conclude that in vivo HO-1 induction is statin- and tissue-specific. Through this pathway, statins may confer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions in the vasculature and extravascular systems.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 738-744 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications |
| Volume | 343 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 12 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grant #HD58013, the Mary L. Johnson Research Fund, and the Christopher Hess Research Fund.
Keywords
- Antioxidants
- Carbon monoxide
- Imaging
- Lipids
- Lipoproteins