Atorvastatin is a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor with cholesterol-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Increasing evidence show atorvastatin acts as a protective agent against insults in the central nervous system (CNS). The regular use of statins has been associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) development. Here, we evaluated early events involved in the neurotoxicity induced by intranasal (i.n.) infusion of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in rats and the potential of atorvastatin to prevent these early toxic events. Male Wistar rats were pretreated orally with atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle once a day during seven consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after atorvastatin administration, animals received a single bilateral i.n. infusion of MPTP (1 mg/nostril), and 6 h later, the striatum and the hippocampus were collected to evaluate early oxidative stress parameters and inflammatory cytokines. Atorvastatin prevented MPTP-induced increase in reactive species (RS) generation and in glutathione levels in the striatum. Atorvastatin also prevented the reduction in mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I and II activities evoked by MPTP in the striatum. Atorvastatin per se reduced the levels of the cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β, and surprisingly, it reduced IL-10 and nerve growth factor levels in the striatum. However, the anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels increased in the striatum following atorvastatin plus MPTP treatment. These effects were not observed in the hippocampus. Our findings reinforce and extend the notion of the neuroprotective effects of atorvastatin in a PD model and indicate the modulation of oxidative and inflammatory responses as the mechanisms associated with therapeutic action of atorvastatin in PD.
Keywords: Atorvastatin; Intranasal; MPTP; Neuroinflammation; Oxidative stress; Parkinson’s disease.