Attenuation of inflammation and expansive remodeling by Valsartan alone or in combination with Simvastatin in high-risk coronary atherosclerotic plaques

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Aims We investigated the role of Valsartan (V) alone or in combination with Simvastatin (S) on coronary atherosclerosis and vascular remodeling, and tested the hypothesis that V or V/S attenuate the pro-inflammatory effect of low endothelial shear stress (ESS). Methods Twenty-four diabetic, hyperlipidemic swine were allocated into Early ( n = 12) and Late ( n = 12) groups. In each group animals were treated with Placebo ( n = 4), V ( n = 4) and V/S ( n = 4) and followed for 8 weeks in the Early group and 30 weeks in the Late group. Blood pressure, serum cholesterol and glucose were similar across the treatment subgroups. ESS was calculated in plaque-free subsegments of interest ( n = 109) in the Late group at week 23. Coronary arteries of this group were harvested at week 30, and the subsegments of interest were identified, and analyzed histopathologically. Results V alone or with S reduced the severity of inflammation in high-risk plaques. Both regimens attenuated the severity of enzymatic degradation of the arterial wall, reducing the severity of expansive remodeling. V alone or with S attenuated the pro-inflammatory effect of low ESS. Conclusions V alone or with S exerts a beneficial effect of reducing and stabilizing high-risk plaque characteristics independent of a blood pressure- and lipid-lowering effect.