OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of atorvastatin on platelet aggregation and activation in the acute phase following balloon-induced carotid artery injury in rabbits fed cholesterol-enriched diet.

METHODSThirty rabbits were randomly divided into 5 equal groups, namely control group, high-cholesterol group, model group, low-dose (5 mg/kg daily) atorvastatin group, and high-dose (10 mg/kg daily) atorvastatin group. Platelet aggregation rate was measured in the rabbits by turbidimetric platelet aggregometry, and the changes of serum P-selectin and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) levels were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSCompared with those in the control group, serum P-selectin level increased significantly (P<0.01) but platelet aggregation rate and TXB2 level exhibited no obvious changes in high-cholesterol group. After carotid artery balloon injury, P-selectin and TXB2 levels and platelet aggregation significantly increased in cholesterol-fed rabbits, reaching the peak level at 24 h after the injury (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, low-dose atorvastatin treatment significantly decreased P-selectin and TXB2 levels and inhibited platelet aggregation in cholesterol-fed rabbits following carotid artery balloon injury (P<0.01), and such effects of atorvastatin were more prominent at a higher daily dose of 10 mg/kg (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCarotid artery balloon injury in rabbits fed cholesterol-enriched diet can induce platelet activation and aggregation, which reaches the peak level at 24 h after balloon injury and can be dose-dependently inhibited by atorvastatin in the acute phase following the injury.

Animals ; Atorvastatin Calcium ; Blood Platelets ; Carotid Artery Injuries ; drug therapy ; Cholesterol ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Heptanoic Acids ; pharmacology ; P-Selectin ; metabolism ; Platelet Activation ; Platelet Aggregation ; Pyrroles ; pharmacology ; Rabbits ; Thromboxane B2 ; metabolism