Renoprotective effect of atorvastatin on STZ-diabetic rats through inhibiting inflammatory factors expression in diabetic rat

OBJECTIVE: Though increasing evidences showed that statins had potential benefits to diabetic kidney disease (DKD), its mechanism has not been completely elucidated yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the renoprotective effects of atorvastatin on DKD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Kidney injury was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) in rats. STZ-diabetic rats were treated with atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/d) for consecutive 8 weeks. Renal functional and morphological changes were evaluated by clinical biochemistry and histological examination. The expression of inflammatory factors in kidney was measured by real-time (RT)-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Compared with DKD rat, atorvastatin effectively reduced the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), creatinine (CREA), ratio of urine albumin to creatinine (UACR) (p < 0.05). The expression of inflammatory factors TNF-a, MCP-1 and IL-6 in kidney tissue were significantly down-regulated, as well (p < 0.05). Atorvastatin improved kidney injury with the reduced morphologic lesions and renal fibrosis and the increasing transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and collagen I staining. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that atorvastatin could ameliorate DKD through inhibiting pro-inflammatory pathways. Atorvastatin may possess a potential antidiabetic effect and serve as the therapeutic drug for DKD management.