Abstract
Atorvastatin is a statin that inhibits the 3-hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. Several landmark clinical trials have demonstrated the beneficial effects of statin therapy for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. It is assumed that the beneficial effects of statin therapy are entirely due to cholesterol reduction. Statins have an additional activity (pleiotropic effect) that has been associated to their anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of the present study was to assess the antinociceptive activity of atorvastatin in five animal pain models. The daily administration of 3-100 mg/kg of atorvastatin by oral gavage induced a significant dose-dependent antinociception in the writhing, tail-flick, orofacial formalin and formalin hind paw tests. However, this antinociceptive activity of atorvastatin was detectable only at high concentrations in the hot plate assay. The data obtained in the present study demonstrates the effect of atorvastatin to reduce nociception and inflammation in different animal pain models.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 125-129 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior |
| Volume | 100 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2011 |
Keywords
- Analgesia
- Atorvastatin
- Formalin hind paw
- Formalin orofocial
- Hot plate
- Writhing test: tail flick
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Biological Psychiatry
- Behavioral Neuroscience