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ABSTRACT: Aim
Although the atheroprotective effects of statins and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are well-established, little is known about their additive effects, especially during the early period of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether combination of a statin and an ARB exerts synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effects, and to elucidate the mechanisms of combined effects.Methods
Atherosclerotic plaques were developed in arteries of 23 rabbits using a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) and intra-arterial balloon inflation. Rabbits received one of five different treatment strategies for 4 weeks: positive control [n = 5, HCD]; negative control [n = 3, regular chow diet]; statin [n = 5, HCD and rosuvastatin 10 mg]; ARB [n = 5, HCD and olmesartan 20 mg]; and combination [n = 5, HCD and statin+ARB].Results
Histological analysis demonstrated that development of atherosclerotic plaques was inhibited more in combination group than in statin group (P = 0.001). Although macrophage infiltration identified by RAM11 staining was not significantly different between combination and individual treatment groups (31.76±4.84% [combination] vs. 38.11±6.53% [statin; P = 0.35] or 35.14±2.87% [ARB; P = 0.62]), the relative proportion of pro-inflammatory M1-macrophages was significantly lower in combination group than in ARB group (3.20±0.47% vs. 5.20±0.78%, P = 0.02). Furthermore, M2-macrophage polarization was higher in combination group than in statin group (17.70±3.04% vs. 7.86±0.68%, P = 0.001).Conclusion
Combination treatment with a statin and an ARB produced synergistic protective effects for atherosclerosis initiation and progression, which may be attributed to modulation of macrophage characteristics in the early period of atherosclerosis.
SUBMITTER: Lee SG
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6499436 | biostudies-literature | 2019
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Lee Seul-Gee SG Lee Seung-Jun SJ Thuy Nguyen Viet Phuong NVP Kim Jung-Sun JS Lee Jung-Jae JJ Lee Oh-Hyun OH Kim Choong-Ki CK Oh Jaewon J Park Seil S Lee Ok-Hee OH Kim Se Hoon SH Park Sungha S Lee Sang-Hak SH Hong Sung-Jin SJ Ahn Chul-Min CM Kim Byeong-Keuk BK Ko Young-Guk YG Choi Donghoon D Hong Myeong-Ki MK Jang Yangsoo Y
PloS one 20190503 5
<h4>Aim</h4>Although the atheroprotective effects of statins and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are well-established, little is known about their additive effects, especially during the early period of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether combination of a statin and an ARB exerts synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effects, and to elucidate the mechanisms of combined effects.<h4>Methods</h4>Atherosclerotic plaques were developed in arteries of 23 rabbits using ...[more]