Briefly about Anticancer Properties of Statins

Abstract

Statins (3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors) have been clinically used for the treatment of dyslipidemia / hypercholesterolemia for almost 40 years. This class of medications represents some of the most frequently prescribed drugs in the world and are the main players in pharmacologic primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Statins have gained much recent attention due to their antitumor effects. This mini review summarizes data about some potential anticancer properties of statins, putative mechanisms of their antitumor activity, and the challenges that have to be overcome in order to facilitate the introduction of these drugs in oncology practice.

Rosuvastatin inhibit the cell proliferation and the expression of angiogenic factors Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Matrix-Metalloproteinase-9 in DU-145 human prostate cancer cells

“…Thus, statins have been considered as a potential medications for cancer treatment, over the last decades. Recent fi ndings show that high concentrations of statins are able to permeate indirectly into the tumor cells to inhibit angiogenesis, however, side effects should be considered [29]. There are some in vitro and in vivo studies to show that fl uvastatin and lovastatin can prevent metastasis and growth of the pancreatic cancer cells, as well as atorvastatin inhibiting metastasis in melanoma cells [30].…”

Comparison of Transcriptomic Profiles of MiaPaCa-2 Pancreatic Cancer Cells Treated with Different Statins

“…They represent the most prescribed drugs in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases [1]. Currently, there are eight existing statins, namely atorvastatin, cerivastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin [2]. Although all statins have the same mechanism of hypolipidemic action, they differ in their chemical structure, physico-chemical properties, pharmacokinetic effects, and effects on lipid profile [3].…”