Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25213828›Full record

ArticleJournal of shoulder and elbow surgery2015

Simvastatin reduces fibrosis and protects against muscle weakness after massive rotator cuff tear.

Max E Davis, Michael A Korn, Jonathan P Gumucio, Julie A Harning, Anjali L Saripalli, Asheesh Bedi, Christopher L Mendias

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
5.6field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. The effects of hyperlipidemia on rotator cuff diseases: a systematic review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2018
    Pooled it
  4. Muscle Health & Fatty Infiltration with Advanced Rotator Cuff Pathology.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2025
    Review
  5. Influence of statin use on progression of postoperative fatty infiltration in the arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2024
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Rotator cuff tears.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2024
    Review
  8. Article
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  10. Review
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  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
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  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. The MRL/MpJ Mouse Strain Is Not Protected From Muscle Atrophy and Weakness After Rotator Cuff Tear.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2020
    Article
  20. Reduced mitochondrial lipid oxidation leads to fat accumulation in myosteatosis.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2019
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Max E DavisDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Michael A KornDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Jonathan P GumucioDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Julie A HarningDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Anjali L SaripalliDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Asheesh BediDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Christopher L MendiasDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: cmendias@umich.edu.
University of Michigan · US

Funding

SYTEMS AND INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGYT32GM008322 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI LOW, MALCOLM JAMES · 1990 to 2020
$5.7M
Sex Differences in Tendon Growth and RemodelingR01AR063649 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI RODEO, SCOTT A · 2013 to 2022
$3.6M
Fatty Macrophage Regulation of Atrophy and Inflammation in Rotator Cuff TearsF31AR065931 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI GUMUCIO, JONATHAN PAUL · 2014 to 2016
$103k
NIAMS NIH HHS F31 AR065931NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR063649NIAMS NIH HHS R01-AR063649NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM008322NIGMS NIH HHS T32-GM008322
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChronic rotator cuff tears are a common source of shoulder pain and disability, and patients with chronic cuff tears often have substantial weakness, fibrosis, inflammation, and fat accumulation. Identifying therapies to prevent the development of these pathologic processes will likely have a positive impact on clinical outcomes. Simvastatin is a drug with demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects in many tissues but had not previously been studied in the context of rotator cuff tears. We hypothesized that after the induction of a massive supraspinatus tear, simvastatin would protect muscles from a loss of force production and fibrosis.

methodsWe measured changes in muscle fiber contractility, histology, and biochemical markers of fibrosis and fatty infiltration in rats that received a full-thickness supraspinatus tear and were treated with either carrier alone or simvastatin.

resultsCompared with vehicle-treated controls, simvastatin did not have an appreciable effect on muscle fiber size, but treatment did increase muscle fiber specific force by 20%. Simvastatin also reduced collagen accumulation by 50% but did not affect triglyceride content of muscles. Several favorable changes in the expression of genes and other markers of inflammation, fibrosis, and regeneration were also observed.

conclusionsSimvastatin partially protected muscles from the weakness that occurs as a result of chronic rotator cuff tear. Fibrosis was also markedly reduced in simvastatin-treated animals. Whereas further studies are necessary, statin medication could potentially help improve outcomes for patients with rotator cuff tears.

Indexed as

Rotator Cuff InjuriesAcetyl-CoA C-AcetyltransferaseAdipose TissueAnimalsAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, MyelomonocyticAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalBiomarkersCCAAT-Binding FactorCD68 MoleculeChronic DiseaseExtracellular Matrix ProteinsFibrosisGene ExpressionInflammationMaleACAT1 protein, ratAcetyl-CoA C-AcetyltransferaseAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, MyelomonocyticAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalBiomarkersCCAAT-Binding FactorCD68 MoleculeCD68 protein, ratExtracellular Matrix ProteinsMyosin Heavy ChainsPPAR gammaSimvastatinfatty degenerationfibrosisHMG-CoA reductase inhibitormuscle atrophymyosteatosisRotator cuffstatin

Identifiers

PMID25213828
PMCPMC4291297
OpenAlexW1991597222

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.