Hepatitis C
Virus could help stop replication if taking Statin Drugs along with
Interferon
July 6th, 2006
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Hepatitis C Virus |
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A study recently
published in the July 2006 issue of Hepatology, found that taking
cholesterol lowering statins could help slow down the replication of the
hepatitis C virus (HCV). The standard treatment today is to use
ribavirin along with interferon. With these new findings statins may be
an alternative treatment that could replace ribavirin in the current
therapy.
Hepatitis C virus
infects has infected around 170 million people worldwide. The current
therapy with interferon and ribavirin which will only help around 55
percent of the cases the remaining cases can develop cirrhosis and liver
cancer.
Scientists at
Masanori Ikeda of Okayama University in Japan found that one statins
worked. The statins were able to hinder the reproduction of the HCV.
There was other statins tested and all except for one was able to
inhibit the spread of the HCV infection.
The statins tested
were atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin.
Pravastatin did help slow down the HCV replication. Fluvastatin seemed
to work best in the group. Atorvastatin and simvastatin were rated as
having a moderate effect on the HCV. The lovastatin had a weak effect
on HCV replication. The pravastatin showed no anti-HCV activity.
However the pravastatin did inhibit HMG-CoA reductase.
The statins were
not able to kill the host cell. The authors of the study report, "the
statins possess the ability to inhibit the replication of HCV RNA via a
specific antiviral mechanism."
The researchers
further tested a combined treatment of statins with interferon. When
the statins were combined with interferon, the results were even more
beneficial at slowing down the HCV replication. Pravastatin did not
show benefit. Fluvastatin along with interferon showed the strongest
effect.
"We clearly
demonstrated that co-treatment of interferon and fluvastatin was an
overwhelmingly effective treatment," said the authors of the study.
"Statins are good
reagents for combination therapy with interferon in patients with
chronic hepatitis C," concluded the authors. "Furthermore, our developed
OR6 assay system will be useful for the time-saving screening of new
anti-HCV reagents."
Nicole Wilson
Best Syndication
Books on Hepatitis C Virus
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