3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase is the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. HMG-CoA reductase converts HMG-CoA to mevalonate, which is then converted into cholesterol or various isoprenoids through multiple enzymatic steps. In this study, we examined the cytotoxic effects of lovastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, in C6 glial cells. Lovastatin at conce...

The hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin is used widely to treat hypercholesterolemia and has been shown to have cell cycle-specific effects. In these studies, we have examined the effects of combining lovastatin and paclitaxel (Taxol), a microtubule-stabilizing agent, in the human leukemia K562 and HL-60 cell lines. Isobologram analysis of cytotoxicity assays revealed that ...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether lovastatin treatment reduced very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) abnormalities in hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Lovastatin reduced plasma triglyceride levels and the levels of total VLDL, intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The numbers of VLDL particles of Sf 100-400 and Sf 60-100 but not Sf 2...

This study reports lovastatin production by solid state fermentation using pomegranate seeds as a substrate. Six different fungal strains and several agro-industrial wastes were selected and screened. Various physicochemical parameters were optimized to improve lovastatin productivity. Moreover, chemical mutation was system-atically employed to enhance lovastatin yield on selected strains. Prod...

BACKGROUND We assumed that the pharmacokinetics of lovastatin could be changed by the induction effect of berberine. METHODS An UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the pharmacokinetics tudy of lovastatin to investigate the in vivo drug-drug interactions between lovastatin and berberine. SD male rats were random divided into lovastatin group and berberine induced prior to lovasta...

PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the effect of lovastatin on Rho G-protein expression and activation in human trabecular meshwork (TM) cells. METHODS Confluent cultures of low-passage (primary) or transformed (GTM3) human TM cells were incubated overnight with vehicle (0.01% ethanol) or activated lovastatin (10 microM). Changes in Rho mRNA, protein content, and activation were quantified...

BACKGROUND Adverse cardiac events are common after vascular surgery. We hypothesized that perioperative statin therapy would improve postoperative outcomes. METHODS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned patients who had not previously been treated with a statin to receive, in addition to a beta-blocker, either 80 mg of extended-release fluvastatin or placebo onc...

The effects of lovastatin, a potent inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, were studied in a mouse model of metastatic mammary cancer carrying a p53 mutation. Mice bearing mammary tumors, induced by inoculation of syngeneic BALB/c mice with BJMC3879 cells, were treated with lovastatin at 0, 25 and 50 mg/kg three times a week. Tumor volumes were significantly reduced in a dose-...

PURPOSE To understand the involvement of isoprenylated small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) in lovastatin-induced cataractogenesis, Rho- and Rac-mediated cell adhesion and actin cytoskeletal reorganization were investigated in lovastatin-treated lens epithelial cells. METHODS The effects of lovastatin on F-actin reorganization (phalloidin staining), focal adhesion formation (paxillin or ...