Low-Dose Fluvastatin Prevents the Functional Alterations of Endothelium Induced by Short-Term Cholesterol Feeding in Rabbit Carotid Artery

Figure 3

The effect of cholesterol feeding and fluvastatin treatment on vascular contractions to serotonin (a) and phenylephrine (b) and relaxations to acetylcholine (c) and nitroglycerine (d) in isolated rabbit carotid artery. Rings of carotid arteries from control (•) (𝑛=5), cholesterol (□) (𝑛=5), and cholesterol + fluvastatin (■) (𝑛=5) groups. Values are expressed as means ± S.E.M. Cumulative dose-response curves for ACh and NTG precontracted with 10^-6M phenylephrine. 𝑃<0.01 compared with control versus cholesterol (*) and cholesterol versus cholesterol + fluvastatin (⁺) groups, ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc test.

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