2. Academic Validation
  3. Atorvastatin exerts dual effects of lesion regression and ovarian protection in the prevention and treatment of endometriosis

Atorvastatin exerts dual effects of lesion regression and ovarian protection in the prevention and treatment of endometriosis

  • Eur J Pharmacol. 2023 Dec 21:176261. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176261.
Xian Qin 1,  Qian Wang 1,  Dongmei Xu 1,  Yixuan Sun 1,  Wandong Xu 1,  Bo Wang 1,  Zhu Yang 2,  Lijuan Hao 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147, China; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing 401147, China.
  • 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010, China.
  • 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147, China; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing 401147, China. Electronic address: haolj2002@163.com.
PMID: 38141938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176261
Abstract

Endometriosis is a frequent, chronic, estrogen-dependent and inflammatory gynecological disease leading to pain and infertility. Clinical and metabolic studies reveal that patients with endometriosis are susceptible to hyperlipemia and lipid dysfunction, putting them at ascending risk of cardiovascular diseases. Statins constitute a group of cholesterol-lowering drugs with pleiotropic effects. A plethora of researches have proved their ability to inhibit the growth of ectopic lesions in endometriosis. However, concerns exist about their possible adverse effects on ovarian function. This study aimed to investigate the possible effect of atorvastatin on the ovarian endocrine function and fertility capacity in the prevention and treatment of endometriosis. Here, 5 mg/kg atorvastatin was intraperitoneally injected to the endometriosis mice once a day for consecutive fourteen days during and after the development of endometriotic implants. The results indicated that atorvastatin not only led to regression of the ectopic lesions, but also caused no discernible harm to the ovary for both the preventive and the therapeutic models. In addition, it elicited a protective effect on the ovarian reserve and fertility possibly by reducing inflammation in the ovary. Hence, atorvastatin could be a promising drug for endometriosis prevention and treatment.

Keywords

Atorvastatin; Endometriosis; Fertility; Ovarian function; Ovarian reserve.

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