Atorvastatin at reperfusion reduces myocardial infarct size in mice by activating eNOS in bone marrow-derived cells

The current study was designed to test our hypothesis that atorvastatin could reduce infarct size in intact mice by activating eNOS, specifically the eNOS in bone marrow-derived cells. C57BL/6J mice (B6) and congenic eNOS knockout (KO) mice underwent 45 min LAD occlusion and 60 min reperfusion. Chimeric mice, created by bone marrow transplantation between B6 and eNOS KO mice, underwent 40 min LAD occlusion and 60 min reperfusion. Mice were treated either with vehicle or atorvastatin in 5% ethanol at a dose of 10 mg/kg IV 5 min before initiating reperfusion. Infarct size was evaluated by TTC and Phthalo blue staining. Atorvastatin treatment reduced infarct size in B6 mice by 19% (p