Free radicals generated from oxidative stress (OS) have been depicted in the causation of cancerous and noncancerous diseases in humans. Increase in fat content of the body may favor the deleterious effect of free radical attack. The generation of free radicals is enhanced in respiratory burst during bacterial infection. The level of plasma membrane cholesterol appears to be critical in the regulation of microbial entry, intracellular trafficking, and exit. The current study was designed to compare the in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activities of hypocholesterolemic drugs atorvastatin and simvastatin. Agar-well diffusion assay was used to screen the antibacterial activity using Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using Fe 2þ -induced lipid peroxidation inhibiting activity in whole rat liver homogenate and Fe 3þ reducing activity using ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Atorvastatin and simvastatin inhibited the growth of all bacterial strains tested. The zone of inhibition produced by atorvastatin is higher than that of simvastatin. However, antioxidant activities of simvastatin were higher than those of atorvastatin. The exhibited pleiotropic activities of these statins suggest their clinical advantages against bacterial infection and oxidative stress-induced human ailments apart from their wide use for hypolipidemic effects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.