in vitro comparative study on the antioxidant activity and determination of antibacterial potential of atorvastatin and simvastatin

Abstract Free radicals generated from oxidative stress (OS) have been depicted in the causation of cancerous and noncancerous diseases in humans. Increase in fat content of the body may favor the deleterious effect of free radical attack. The generation of free radicals is enhanced in respiratory burst during bacterial infection. The level of plasma membrane cholesterol appears to be critical in the regulation of microbial entry, intracellular trafficking, and exit. The current study was designed to compare the in vitro. antibacterial and antioxidant activities of hypocholesterolemic drugs atorvastatin and simvastatin. Agar-well diffusion assay was used to screen the antibacterial activity using Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation inhibiting activity in whole rat liver homogenate and Fe3+ reducing activity using ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Atorvastatin and simvastatin inhibited the growth of all bacterial strains tested. The zone of inhibition produced by atorvastatin is higher than that of simvastatin. However, antioxidant activities of simvastatin were higher than those of atorvastatin. The exhibited pleiotropic activities of these statins suggest their clinical advantages against bacterial infection and oxidative stress-induced human ailments apart from their wide use for hypolipidemic effects.