Abstract:

Abstract:Objective
To observe the effects of atorvastatin with different doses on the expression of nuclear factor-kappa B（NF-κB）in spinal cords of rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis(EAE) and  to explore its protective mechanism.Methods The Wistar  rats were divided into four  groups in the  experiment:control group, EAE control group,high dose  and low dose atorvastatin treatment groups. The rat models of EAE were established by induction with guinea pig spinal cord homogenate.The histological changes were observed under light microscope，then the  changes of incidence rate,latency,clinical symptoms and histology of EAE which were effected by atorvastatin with different doses were compared by method of quantization.And the expression of NF-κB was detected by immunohistochemistry.Results  Compared with  EAE control group,the latency in high dose atorvastatin treatment group was prolonged (P<0.05),the severity of disease in rats was reduced (P<0.05),the  NF-κB expression in the spinal cord was decreased (P<0.05);but   the latency,the clinical symptoms and the expression of NF-κB  in   low-dose atorvastatin treatment group were similar to EAE control group,the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05).Conclusion High dose atorvastatin plays a protective role in rats with EAE and its mechanism may be involved in some impact on the immunological mechanism of the CNS.

Key words: encephalomyelitis; , atorvastatin, nuclear factor-kappa B;disease model,animal