Atorvastatin improves pathological changes in the aged kidney by upregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor expression and reducing matrix metalloproteinase-9 and transforming growth factor-β1 levels

AVT improved the renal pathology of aged rats. These effects may have been induced by the lowering of blood lipids, maintaining the MMP/TIMP balance, and downregulating the expression of TGF-β1. AVT may reduce the levels of MMP-9 and TGF-β in aged rats by upregulating the expression of PPARs.