Journal
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
Volume 48, Issue 2, Pages 308-314Publisher
HUMANA PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1007/s12035-013-8496-5
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease; Apoptosis; Bcl-2; Cancer; Cholesterol; Isoprenoids; Neuroprotection; Neurodegeneration; Statins
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [AG-23524, AG-18357]
- Department of Veterans Affairs
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Statins have proven their effectiveness in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. This class of drugs has also attracted attention as a potential treatment for dissimilar diseases such as certain types of cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. What appears to be a contradiction is that, in the case of cancer, it has been suggested that statins increase apoptosis and alter levels of Bcl-2 family members (e.g., reduce Bcl-2 and increase Bax), whereas studies mainly using noncancerous cells report opposite effects. This review examined studies reporting on the effects of statins on Bcl-2 family members, apoptosis, cell death, and cell protection. Much, but not all, of the evidence supporting the pro-apoptotic effects of statins is based on data in cancer cell lines and the use of relatively high drug concentrations. Studies indicating an anti-apoptotic effect of statins are fewer in number and generally used much lower drug concentrations and normal cells. Those conclusions are not definitive, and certainly, there is a need for additional research to determine if statin repositioning is justified for noncardiovascular diseases.
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