Simvastatin, 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, suppresses osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand through modulation of NF‐κB pathway

Simvastatin, an inhibitor of 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, is a cholesterol‐lowering drug that may play a role in bone metabolism through a mechanism that is not fully understood. Recently, receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL), a member of the TNF superfamily, has emerged as a major mediator of bone loss via activation of osteoclastogenesis. The latter is also associated with certain cancers such as multiple myeloma and breast cancer. Whether simvastatin can modulate RANKL‐induced or cancer induced osteoclastogenesis was investigated. The effect of simvastatin on RANKL signaling and consequent osteoclastogenesis was investigated. RANKL induced NF‐κB activation, whereas pretreatment with simvastatin completely suppressed such activation and correlated with suppression of RANKL‐induced activation of IκBα kinase, IκBα phosphorylation and IκBα degradation. Similarly, RANKL induced the differentiation of monocytic cells to osteoclasts, whereas simvastatin suppressed it. The inhibition was maximal when cells were exposed to both simvastatin and RANKL simultaneously and minimal when simvastatin was added 1 day after RANKL treatment. Simvastatin also inhibited the osteoclastogenesis induced by human breast cancer and by multiple myeloma cells. Together, our results indicate that simvastatin inhibits the RANKL‐induced NF‐κB activation pathway that leads to suppression of osteoclastogenesis induced by RANKL and by tumor cells, thereby suggesting its therapeutic potential in osteoporosis and in cancer‐related bone loss. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.