Evaluation of the Anti-inflammatory Activity of Atorvastatin and its Effect on Alveolar Diameter in a Model of Elastase-induced Emphysema in Rats.

Statins are cholesterol-lowering agents and some of them, like simvastatin, have anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we evaluated the effect of atorvastatin on nitric oxide (NO) release, leukocytes levels and alveolar diameter related to the inflammatory process associated with elastase-induced emphysema in rats. 32 rats were divided into 4 groups, n=8: control (C), atorvastatin (A), emphysema (E), and emphysema+atorvastatin (EA).