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  • 08 Nov 09
    sigalon
    Sigalon - The Swedish Frog

    Simvastatin Stops Parkinson's Disease In Mice

    Might a widely available cholesterol-lowering drug slow or stop the progression of Parkinson's?

    (CHICAGO) –Simvastatin, a commonly used, cholesterol-lowering drug, may prevent Parkinson's disease from progressing further. Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center conducted a study examining the use of the FDA-approved medication in mice with Parkinson's disease and found that the drug successfully reverses the biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes caused by the disease.

    If this happens in humans surely some doctors would have noticed by now? Since Simvastatin is sold by Merck as Zocor and since at least some older patients with Parkinson's also have high cholesterol I wonder how difficult it would be to measure Parkinson's progression in patients already taking Zocor. Ditto for the other statin drugs such as lovastatin (Mevacor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and other statins.

    "Statins are one of the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs throughout the world," said study author Kalipada Pahan, PhD, professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center. "This may be a safer approach to halt the disease progression in Parkinson's patients."

    Pahan and colleagues from Rush, along with researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha published these findings in the October 28 issue of the Journal of Neurosciences.

    The authors have shown that the activity of one protein called p21Ras is increased very early in the midbrain of mice with Parkinson's pathology. Simvastatin enters into the brain and blocks the activity of the p21Ras protein and other associated toxic molecules, and goes on to protect the neurons, normalize neurotransmitter levels, and improves the motor functions in the mice with Parkinson's.

    pd

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