TY - JOUR ID - 14135 TI - The preventive effect of atorvastatin on liver fibrosis in the bile duct ligation rats via antioxidant activity and down-regulation of Rac1 and NOX1 JO - Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences JA - IJBMS LA - en SN - 2008-3866 AU - Ghoreshi, Zohreh-al-sadat AU - Kabirifar, Razieh AU - Khodarahmi, Ameneh AU - karimollah, Alireza AU - Moradi, Ali AD - Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran AD - Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran Y1 - 2020 PY - 2020 VL - 23 IS - 1 SP - 30 EP - 35 KW - Atorvastatin KW - Biliary duct-ligation KW - Liver fibrosis KW - NOX1 KW - Oxidative stress KW - Rac1 KW - Rac1-GTP DO - 10.22038/ijbms.2019.33663.8047 N2 - Objective(s): Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering agent capable of inhibiting 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase. Recent studies have demonstrated new facets of atorvastatin, such as antioxidant and anti-fibrotic properties. We investigated the effect of atorvastatin on hepatic injury via the measurement of the antioxidant capacity and protein expression of NOX1, Rac1-GTP, and Rac1 in a rat biliary duct ligation (BDL) model.Materials and Methods: This study is regarded as experimental interventional research in which a total of 32 adult male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were assigned to 4 groups (eight rats per group) as follows: Control group; Control + At group (15 mg\kg\day atorvastatin); BDL group, and BDL+ At group (15 mg\kg\day atorvastatin). Expression levels of Rac1, NOX1, and Rac1-GTP were determined by western blot analysis. Besides, specific biomarkers of oxidative stress in hepatic tissues of all animals were also analyzed.Results: Atorvastatin reduced liver injury via a decrease in the expression of NOX1, Rac1-GTP, and Rac1 in the BDL group (P<0.05), while the increased contents of protein thiol groups were observed, and the protein carbonylation was decreased in atorvastatin-treated BDL rats compared to the BDL group (P<0.05). Also, administration of atorvastatin in the BDL group significantly lowered oxidative stress through increasing the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase in comparison with the BDL group (P<0.05). Conclusion: It seems that atorvastatin has potential advantages in mitigation of liver fibrosis by a decrease in the expression of NOX1, Rac1-GTP, and Rac1, along with, a reduction in oxidative stress of liver tissues in rats induced by BDL.  UR - https://ijbms.mums.ac.ir/article_14135.html L1 - https://ijbms.mums.ac.ir/article_14135_d0f7fa1ec15386a04f85b3932edf8c25.pdf ER -