Effects of simvastatin on malondialdehyde level and esterase activity in plasma and tissue of normolipidemic rats

BackgroundWe investigated the possible non-lipid effects of simvastatin (SIMV) on paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity, as well as on malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in normolipidemic rats.MethodsTwo experimental groups of Wistar rats (10 mg/kg/day of SIMV) and two control groups (saline) underwent a 21-day treatment period (TP). On the 22nd day one experimental and one control group of rats were sacrificed. Remaining groups of animals were sacrificied on the 32nd day of the study (10-day after-treatment period (AT)). Blood samples and slices of liver, heart, kidney, and brain tissue were obtained for the measurement of PON1 and BuChE activity and levels of MDA. Data were analyzed by means of t-test for independent samples. p values ≤ 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.ResultsSIMV caused a significant decrease of serum and liver PON1 activity (18–24%, p ≤ 0.05) and MDA concentrations in the plasma, heart, liver, kidney, and brain (9–40%, p ≤ 0.05), while plasma and liver BuChE activity increased by 29% (p ≤ 0.05) and 18%, respectively. All effects of SIMV were largely diminished following AT. The exception was MDA, which remained significantly decreased in plasma and all tissues analyzed.ConclusionSIMV significantly decreased PON1 activity and MDA levels and increased BuChE activity. We suggest that the decrease of MDA levels is a beneficial therapeutic effect of SIMV, for example in cardiovascular disorders, while the increase of BuChE activity, especially in brain, may be a potential adverse effect in patients with Alzheimer disease.