Atorvastatin attenuates NF-κB activation in trigeminal nucleus caudalis in a rat model of migraine

Nitroglycerin-induced NF-κB activation in trigeminal nucleus caudalis is believed to be partly involved in the pathogenesis of migraine. Atorvastatin, an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, is thought to have pleiotropic effects in various neurologic diseases. Moreover, there are several lines of evidences that atorvastatin inhibits NF-κB activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Thus, this study aims to explore whether atorvastatin attenuates NF-κB activation in trigeminal nucleus caudalis in a nitroglycerin-induced migraine model. A significant increase in nuclear content of p65, an indicator of NF-κB activation, was detected in trigeminal nucleus caudalis in rats following injection with nitroglycerin. However, the nitroglycerin-induced NF-κB activation in trigeminal nucleus caudalis was attenuated by pretreatment with atorvastatin in a dose-dependent fashion. These results suggest that atorvastatin may be a novel and promising candidate for future treatment or prophylaxis of migraine via attenuating activation of NF-κB in trigeminal nucleus caudalis.