Iron-mediated oxidation of low-density lipoprotein has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis. The present investigations were performed to test whether hydrophobic fungal siderophores -hexadentate trihydroxamates desferricoprogen, desferrichrome, desferrirubin, and desferrichrysin -might suppress heme-catalyzed LDL oxidation and the toxic effects of heme-treated LDL on vascular endothelium. Indeed, two of these -desferricoprogen and desferrichrome -markedly increased the resistance of LDL to heme-catalyzed oxidation. In similar doseresponse fashion, these siderophores also inhibited the generation of LDL products cytotoxic to human vascular endothelium. When iron-free fungal siderophores were added to LDL/heme oxidation reactions, the product failed to induce heme oxygenase-1, a surrogate marker for the noncytocidal effects of oxidized LDL (not in the case of desferrichrysin). Desferricoprogen also hindered the ironmediated peroxidation of lipids from human atherosclerotic soft plaques in vitro, and was taken up in the gastrointestinal tract of rat. The absorbed siderophore was accumulated in the liver and was secreted in its iron-complexed form in the feces and urine. The consumption of mold-ripened food products such as aged cheeses and the introduction of functional foods and food additives rich in fungal iron chelators in diets may lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

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Although statins, the most widely used drugs in the treatment of hyperlipidaemia, are generally accepted as efficient and safe drugs their side-effects on skeletal muscle have been reported with increasing frequency in the past years. The lack of an appropriate animal model in which these side effects would consistently be observed is one of the most important drawbacks in studying statin associated myopathy. To overcome this and enable the studying of the effects of fluvastatin on skeletal muscles an animal model with high blood cholesterol levels was developed. In these animals cholesterol levels rose more than seven fold (from soleus the duration of twitch and tetanic force was shortened. These results clearly indicate that statin administration in these animals results in a myopathy characterized by decreased muscle force and elevated plasma creatine kinase level.

The switch from apoptosis to inflammatory necrosis taking place within a narrow concentration range supports the notion of a narrow therapeutic spectrum. Chromatin changes are early markers of genotoxicity at much lower concentrations than citogenetic changes in properly chosen sensitive cells.