Statins influence of human leukemia and lymphoma cell lines in vitro

Statins have been proposed to induce apoptosis of tumor cells. In order to test this hypothesis, the effect of atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, mevastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin on cell viability was assessed by in vitro culture for 48 hr, at concentrations ranging from 1 pM to 100 mu M on human cell lines Jurkat E6.1, Jurkat D1.1 (T cell lymphoma), Daudi (B cell lymphoma), U937 (monocitic leukemia) and HL-60 (pro mielomonocitic leukemia) and analyzed the oxidation of (3-(4.5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Lovastatin and mevastatin are the most potent inductors of cell death independently of the cell type (Ic 50 between 12 and 50 mu M). Differences in the Ic50 are observed depending on the cell line: atorvastatina (38.1 and 48.6 mu M Jurkats, 55.3 mu M Daudi y 100 mu M for the others lines), pravastatin (25 mu M HL-60, 55.6 y 60.7 mu M Jurkats and >= 100 mu M Daudi and U937), simvastatin (25.1 mu M Jurkat D1.1, 50.2 mu M Jurkat E6.1, 45.2 mu M Daudi and 51,3 mu M HL-60, and > 100 mu M U937) and for fluvastatin > 100 mu M in all cases. The decrease in cell viability is reverted completely when the cells were incubated with 10 mu M mevalonate. It is concluded that lovastatin and mevastatin are the most potent inductors of cell death followed by atorvastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin whose effect depends upon the cell type and fluvastatin does not have any important effects on cell viability on the cell lines studied.