Cholesterol-Lowering Medications and Parkinson’s Disease – Statins hạ thấp Cholesterol và Làm Chậm Diễn Tiến Bệnh Parkinson
Bs Daniel Trương, M.D., Chuyên Khoa Bệnh Thần Kinh
The Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Foundation

Statins are a group of medications that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of high cholesterol. These medications, including simvastatin, not only lower cholesterol, but also produce other effects on the body that reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries, associated with heart disease. One of the effects of statin drugs is to control inflammation in the blood vessels that can happen as a result of cell damage, among other things. This latter effect of statins may be the key to a recent study showing that statins may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

In a recent article published in the Journal of Science, Kalipada Pahan, Ph.D. and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago report the results of a study in which treatment with statins slowed the effects of Parkinson’s disease on cells as well on motor behavior. Previous studies have shown that taking statins for their intended purpose is associated with a significantly reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease. However, it is still unclear whether these drugs might be able to reverse the effects of Parkinson’s disease in patients who already had it, and if so, how. Pahan and colleagues decided to begin to address this question.

To do this study, Pahan and colleagues injected mice with a neurotoxin – a drug that kills nerve cells – that produces chemical and behavioral effects similar to those experienced by patients with Parkinson’s disease. As expected, mice injected with the neurotoxin showed Parkinson’s-like motor problems as well as evidence of dopamine cell death in the brain. These mice also showed increased activity of a protein called p21Ras, as well as markers of increased inflammation, in their brains very soon after injection of neurotoxin.

Mice treated with a statin showed reduced rates of dopamine cell death in their brains, reduced levels of the p21RAS protein, reduced inflammatory responses, and improved motor function. These findings suggest that in the future, stains may play a role in reducing the progression of Parkinson’s disease in people. According to the investigator, Dr. Pahan, “Understanding how the disease works is important to developing effective drugs to protect the brain and stop the progression of Parkinson’s. If we are able to replicate these results in Parkinson’s patients in the clinical setting, it would be a remarkable advance in the treatment of this devastating neurodegenerative disease”. Statins are widely used medications that have been well studied and generally safe, and if they prove to be effective in slowing disease progression in Parkinson’s disease they may fill a gap in available treatment options.

Although these findings are encouraging, several caveats are necessary. First, it is important to remember that this study was conducted in mice, and it is not clear whether the same findings would be observed in humans. Second, the mice in this study were injected with a neurotoxin that caused brain damage and motor problems similar to those of Parkinson’s disease, but there is no guarantee that the same result would be seen in the type of Parkinson’s disease that occurs spontaneously in people. Finally, there have been no studies of the effects of simvastatin or other statins on disease course in patients with Parkinson’s disease, and statins have not been approved by the FDA for this purpose. Additional research in both animals and humans is needed to more clearly understand the possible effects of stains on the symptoms and progression of Parkinson’s disease. Until more evidence is available, doctors and scientists recommend that Patients with Parkinson’s disease not be started on statin therapy unless they need it for high cholesterol. Patients with questions should talk with their neurologist.

Daniel Trương, M.D., The Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Foundation

TAGS: Simvastatin, statins, Parkinson's disease, p21RAS, neurotoxin, Kalipada Lahan, Daniel Truong

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