Statins and myocardial hypertrophy

Coron Artery Dis. 2004 Aug;15(5):247-50. doi: 10.1097/01.mca.0000130229.18685.b9.

Abstract

Cardiac hypertrophy is a physiological adaptive response by the heart to pressure overload. However, after prolonged periods, this initial adaptive response becomes maladaptive, leading to increased mortality and morbidity from heart failure. Recently, 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, or statins, have been shown to inhibit cardiac hypertrophy by cholesterol-independent mechanisms. Statins block the isoprenylation and activation of members of the Rho guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) family, such as RhoA and Rac1. Since Rac1 is a requisite component of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, which is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiovascular cells, the ability of statins to inhibit Rac1-mediated oxidative stress makes an important contribution to their inhibitory effects on cardiac hypertrophy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cardiomegaly / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins / drug effects
  • Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / drug effects
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / metabolism
  • NADPH Oxidases / drug effects
  • NADPH Oxidases / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects
  • rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
  • NADPH Oxidases
  • Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins
  • rac1 GTP-Binding Protein