Cited by 796Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular HealthCholesterol and Lipid MetabolismCancer, Lipids, and Metabolism

New insights into the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of statins

Corsini, Alberto, Bellosta, Stefano, Baetta, Roberta, Fumagalli, Remo, Paoletti, Rodolfo, Bernini, Franco·1999·Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Abstract

The beneficial effects of statins are assumed to result from their ability to reduce cholesterol biosynthesis. However, because mevalonic acid is the precursor not only of cholesterol, but also of many nonsteroidal isoprenoid compounds, inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase may result in pleiotropic effects. It has been shown that several statins decrease smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation and that sera from fluvastatin-treated patients interfere with its proliferation. Cholesterol accumulation in macrophages can be inhibited by different statins, while both fluvastatin and simvastatin inhibit secretion of metalloproteinases by human monocyte-derived macrophages. The antiatherosclerotic effects of statins may be achieved by modifying hypercholesterolemia and the arterial wall environment as well. Although statins rarely have severe adverse effects, interactions with other drugs deserve attention. Simvastatin, lovastatin, cerivastatin, and atorvastatin are biotransformed in the liver primarily by cytochrome P450-3A4, and are susceptible to drug interactions when co-administered with potential inhibitors of this enzyme. Indeed, pharmacokinetic interactions (e.g., increased bioavailability), myositis, and rhabdomyolysis have been reported following concurrent use of simvastatin or lovastatin and cyclosporine A, mibefradil, or nefazodone. In contrast, fluvastatin (mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450-2C9) and pravastatin (eliminated by other metabolic routes) are less subject to this interaction. Nevertheless, a 5- to 23-fold increase in pravastatin bioavailability has been reported in the presence of cyclosporine A. In summary, statins may have direct effects on the arterial wall, which may contribute to their antiatherosclerotic actions. Furthermore, some statins may have lower adverse drug interaction potential than others, which is an important determinant of safety during long-term therapy.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/s0163-7258(99)00045-5

Cites

187 of 187 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Statins compete with the natural substrate for HMG-CoA reductase's active site, preventing the formation of a functional enzyme structure with reversible binding.

    “Statins compete with the natural substrate for the enzyme's active site, preventing the formation of a functional enzyme structure with reversible binding [11] .”

    From Statins as antifungal agents (2011) · cites this paper as [11]

  • Statins are not applicable as single antifungal agents for treatment of IFI because their MICs are about one order of magnitude higher than their maximum achievable concentrations in human serum.

    “Statins are not applicable as single antifungal agents for the treatment of IFI because their MICs are much higher (about 1 order of magnitude) than their maximum achievable concentrations in human serum [11,[40][41][42][43][44][45] .”

    From Statins as antifungal agents (2011) · cites this paper as [11]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Corsini, A., Bellosta, S., Baetta, R., Fumagalli, R., Paoletti, R., & Bernini, F.
Affiliations
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • University of Parma (IT)
Corresponding author
Corsini, Alberto
Venue
Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1999-12
Volume
84
Issue
3
Pages
413-428
ISSN
0163-7258 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2045063002
Cited by
796
References
186
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 38
FWCI
5.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Pharmacology & Therapeutics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Cholesterol and Lipid Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer, Lipids, and Metabolism
Keywords
statins, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, HMG-CoA reductase inhibition, mevalonate, pleiotropy, smooth muscle cell proliferation, macrophage cholesterol accumulation, atherosclerosis, drug interactions, CYP3A4, cyclosporine, rhabdomyolysis, myositis, pravastatin, fluvastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin, cerivastatin
MeSH terms
Atorvastatin, Fluvastatin, Animals, Anticholesteremic Agents, Cell Division, Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System, Drug Interactions, Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated, Heptanoic Acids, Humans, Indoles, Mevalonic Acid, Pyridines, Pyrroles, Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors, Simvastatin

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review