Zocor inhibits NF-kB and so might be useful in the treatment of many conditions related to inflammation.
Inhibition of NF-kB will produce beneficial effects in conditions related to inflammation.
Of interest, NF-kB inhibition has a direct, and favorable, impact on lipids. Perhaps NF-kB inhibition is more than just a beneficial ’side effect’ of statins. Perhaps some of the cholesterol lowering effect of statins results from their ability to inhibit NF-kB.
Expect to see more effort directed toward promoting the use of statins in the treatment or prevention of conditions related to inflammation. For example, here is a discussion of the possible use of statins in preventing cancer.
But keep in mind that statins may be relatively weak inhibitors of NF-kB, that they can have undesirable side effects. We already have a wide assortment of NF-kB inhibitors available for use. Your kitchen is (I hope) full of them – essentially every fruit or vegetable is an NF-kB inhibitor.
If you want something a little more effective than your ‘garden variety’ fruit or vegetable, select from curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) or one of the many other herbs that has a long history of medicinal use and that has been shown to inhibit NF-kB.Relative to the statins, these alternatives are less expensive, safer, and almost certainly more effective inhibitors of NF-kB.
The publication:
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Shock. 2009 Aug;32(2):159-63.
Simvastatin reduces endotoxin-induced nuclear factor kappaB activation and mortality in guinea pigs despite lowering circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Fraunberger P, Gröne E, Gröne HJ, Walli AK.
Medical Central Laboratories, Feldkirch, Austria.
Summary of the abstract
Statins, which are effective lipid-lowering drugs, also possess anti-inflammatory potential.
The same lipids that are reduced by treatment with simvistatin might be helpful in fighting inflammation, especially as they counter the effects of bacterial toxins. It is thus paradoxical that statins, which drastically reduce circulating cholesterol levels, should be beneficial in patients with inflammatory disease.
The effect of simvastatin on NF-kB was investigated, and simvistatin was found to be associated with a significant reduction in NF-kB activation.
The data suggest that simvastatin, despite lowering circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, had an anti-inflammatory effect by means of its inhibition of NF-kB.
Simvistatin therefore deserves consideration as a possible supplementary therapy in acute inflammatory disease.
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