Beneficial anti-inflammatory effects of combined rosuvastatin and cilostazol in a TNF-driven inflammatory model

Abstract Background Due to anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic functions, statins and antiplatelets are widely used for patients with cardiovascular-related or coronary artery diseases. Patients with systemic or complex diseases are commonly prescribed multiple targeted medications; thus, a proper combination of two or more drugs for beneficial efficacy is considered in clinical therapy. Recent studies have suggested that combinational therapy with statins and other medications accelerates their single effect to suppress inflammatory responses. However, the therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanism of combination treatment with rosuvastatin and cilostazol have been poorly studied. Methods Mice were administered rosuvastatin alone, cilostazol alone or rosuvastatin and cilostazol in combination, and then injected with LPS or TNF to induce acute inflammation. The serum TNF level, macrophage infiltration of the lesioned aortas and mice mortality were observed in the acute inflammation model. The phosphorylation of MAPK was analyzed in TNF-stimulated HeLa cells. Results Compared to the treatment with cilostazol alone, the combination treatment with rosuvastatin and cilostazol significantly reduced not only the levels of TNF in the sera but also macrophage infiltration in aortic lesions. In addition, the combination therapy decreased TNF-mediated phosphorylation of the MAPK signaling pathway and improved the survival rate in the TNF-driven inflammatory mice model. Conclusion Rosuvastatin combined with cilostazol therapy can greatly improve the anti-inflammatory effect of monotherapies, resulting in reduced mortality of mice; thus, we propose the potential of use of this combination therapy as anti-TNF agent.