Rosuvastatin Ameliorates Obesity and Proteinuria in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats

Obesity and metabolic syndrome are major risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis or chronic kidney disease. In this paper, we investigated the effect of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin on endothelial function, and liver and kidney function in obese fa/fa Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. ZDF rats were administered rosuvastatin (10 mg/kg/day p.o.) or atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day p.o.) for 12 weeks. Rosuvastatin treatment decreased body weight and fat weight. Neither statin affected the blood sugar and total cholesterol levels, whereas they led to a significant decrease in triglyceride and liver markers (AST and ALT). Rosuvastatin, but not atorvastatin, markedly reduced elevated urinary protein excretion after 12 weeks of treatment. Endothelial function, which was evaluated by EC50 values for acetylcholine-induced relaxation of mesenteric artery rings, was altered after 12 weeks of treatment with rosuvastatin, but not atorvastatin. Our findings suggest that rosuvastatin treatment may improve obesity, proteinuria and endothelial function compared with treatment with atorvastatin.