Effects of simvastatin treatment on leptomeningeal collateral vessels: resistance, number and diameter.

Good leptomeningeal collateral vessels (LMC) are associated with smaller lesion volume and better patient outcomes from ischaemic stroke, but their architecture varies greatly between individuals. Statins can stimulate angiogenesis and show promise for stimulating cerebral collaterogenesis. Statins could thus improve LMC grade and ensure all patients receive positive outcomes from treatment. This potentially explains why statin treatment is effective given prior to stroke in pre-clinical models, but not prescribed afterwards in clinical trials. LMC-rich C57Bl/6 and LMC-poor BALB/c 12-week-old male mice were randomised to receive daily oral simvastatin (10 mg/kg) or vehicle for 4 weeks. The cerebrovasculature was silicone-perfused, allowing LMC numbers and dimensions to be analysed. Values for tortuosity, vascularity and LMC resistance were calculated. In BALB/c, estimated resistance was lower with simvastatin treatment (vehicle: 0.104 ± 0.09, simvastatin: 0.023 ± 0.02; p = 0.04) and LMC numbers were greater (vehicle: 1.6 ± 1.6, simvastatin: 4.0 ± 3.2; p = 0.04). In C57Bl/6, there was no difference to resistance, but LMCs were smaller in diameter (vehicle: 16.3 ± 1.8 μm, simvastatin: 14.0 ± 1.4 μm, p = 0.008). Statin-treated C57Bl/6 also had more arterial branchpoints (left hemisphere, vehicle: 363.8 ± 55 per cm2, simvastatin: 417.3 ± 58 per cm2, p = 0.007; right, vehicle: 315.1 ± 40 per cm2, simvastatin: 397.5 ± 43 per cm2, p < 0.0001). We have observed signs of collaterogenesis and angiogenesis, providing evidence that statins stimulate growth of LMCs. Greatest benefit was seen in LMC-poor BALB/c, suggesting that patients with poor LMC circulation stand to gain most from LMC-enhancing therapies. Patients receiving statins prior to stroke have likely developed better LMCs, leading to better stroke outcomes. These findings should stimulate investigation of further safe, widely-available LMC-enhancing therapies.