O uso do enalapril em camundongos com distrofia muscular
Itália – o enalapril é uma droga muito conhecida e utilizada no tratamento de doenças cardiovasculares; pertence a classe dos inibidores da ECA, que impede a síntese de angiotensina II, que parece ter uma ação pró-inflamatória e pró-oxidante. Os resultados do tratamento com enalapril dos camundongos com distrofia muscular foram comparados com os tratados com prednisona. Os animais tratados com enalapril apresentaram redução da atividade inflamatória e oxidante e redução da necrose dos músculos; houve também melhora da função muscular. Assim como o losartan, que já demonstrou efeito semelhante, o enalapril se candidata como tratamento complementar aos corticóides em pacientes com distrofia muscular de Duchenne.
O resumo em inglês pode ser lido abaixo:
(Pharmacological Research, 2011) Enalapril treatment discloses an early role of angiotensin II in inflammation – and oxidative stress-related muscle damage in dystrophic mdx mice
Anna Cozzoli, Beatrice Nico, Valeriana Teresa Sblendorio, Roberta Francesca Capogrosso, Maria Maddalena Dinardo, Vito Longo, Sara Gagliardi, Monica Montagnani, Annamaria De Luca – Italy
Inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzymes (ACE) are clinically used to control cardiomyopathy in patients of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Various evidences suggest potential usefulness of long-term treatment with ACE inhibitors to reduce advanced fibrosis of dystrophic muscle in the mdx mouse model. However, angiotensin II is known to exert pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidative actions that might contribute to early events of dystrophic muscle degeneration. The present study has been aimed at evaluating the effects of an early treatment with enalapril on the pathology signs of exercised mdx mouse model. The effects of 1 and 5 mg/kg enalapril i.p. for 4-8 weeks have been compared with those of 1 mg/kg α-methyl-prednisolone (PDN), as positive control. Enalapril caused a dose-dependent increase in fore limb strength, the highest dose leading to a recovery score similar to that observed with PDN. A dose-dependent reduction of superoxide anion production was observed by dihydroethidium staining in tibialis anterior muscle of enalapril-treated mice, approaching the effect observed with PND. In parallel, a significant reduction of the activated form of the pro-inflammatory Nuclear Factor-kB has been observed in gastrocnemious muscle. Histologically, 5 mg/kg enalapril reduced the area of muscle necrosis in both gastrocnemious muscle and diaphragm, without significant effect on non-muscle area. In parallel no significant changes have been observed in both muscle TGF-β1 and myonuclei positive to phosphorylated Smad2/3. Myofiber functional indices were also monitored by microelectrodes recordings. A dose-dependent recovery of macroscopic chloride conductance has been observed upon enalapril treatment in EDL muscle, with minor effects being exerted in diaphragm. However a modest effect, if any, was found on mechanical threshold, a functional index of calcium homeostasis. No recovery was observed in creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. Finally the results suggest the ability of enalapril to blunt angiotensin-II dependent activation of pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant pathways which may be earlier events with respect to the pro-fibrotic ones, and may in part account for both functional impairment and muscle necrosis. The PDN-like profile may corroborate the combined use of the two classes of drugs in DMD patients so to potentiate the beneficial effects at skeletal muscle level, while reducing both spontaneous and PDN-aggravated cardiomyopathy.
