Abstract
BackgroundFrequently statins were administered to reduce the LDL-concentration in circulating blood. Especially simvastatin (SV) is an often prescribed statin. Pleiotropic effects of these drugs were reported. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate effects of SV on osteoblastic mineralization.MethodsAfter informed consent primary osteoblasts were collected from tissue surplus after treatment of 14 individuals in the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Münster. The cells were passaged according to established protocols. Viability, mineralization capability and osteoblastic marker (alkaline phosphatase) were determined at day 9, 13 and 16 after adding various SV concentrations (0.05 μM, 0.1 μM, 0.5 μM, 1.0 μM). Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis-test.ResultsThe cell cultures showed a time and dose-dependent significantly decreased viability (p < 0.01) and a significantly increased mineralization (p < 0.01) in a late mineralization stage after adding SV. The typical alteration of the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels during osteogenic differentiation was not recognizable.ConclusionsThe pleiotropic effects found for different SV concentrations were possibly originated from other mineralization pathways beside the ALP induced one. Additionally, possible alterations of protein expression levels during mineralization and investigation of possible deviating application of SV in other treatment fields can be considered after gaining a deeper insight in the affected mechanisms.
Highlights
Statins were administered to reduce the low density lipoproteins (LDL)-concentration in circulating blood
SV concentrations of 0.1 μM and 1 μM showed cytotoxic effects but the treated cells survived on a reduced level of viability (Fig. 1)
Cell viability (MTT-assay) On day 9 concentrations of 0.5 and 1 μM SV showed a significant decrease (p < 0.01) of the viability of the primary osteoblast cultures compared to the groups of 0.05, 0.1 μM SV and the control group
Summary
Statins were administered to reduce the LDL-concentration in circulating blood. Simvastatin (SV) is an often prescribed statin. Pleiotropic effects of these drugs were reported. The remodelling is balanced between osteoclasts which resorb bone and osteoblasts which build bone [1]. In between there are Several regularly administered pharmaceutics are known to exert an impact on bone remodelling and bone homeostasis [4, 5]. Bisphosphonates and denosumab are frequently used to treat different types of cancer [4] and osteoporosis [4, 5]. Both medicaments exert direct effects on bone metabolism; bisphosphonates influence the action of osteoclasts [5], while
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