Number of days of statin exposure required for maximal statin-induced cytotoxicity

After various durations of lovastatin exposure, mevalonate was added to the cells to rescue them from the cytotoxic effects of statins in order to determine the minimum duration of statin exposure needed to induce a cytotoxic effect. (A) Duration of lovastatin exposure required at high concentrations (50 mM). HL60 and U937 cells were cultured with 50 M lovastatin for 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 24 or 48 h prior to the addition of 200 mM Mevalonate. The culture was then incubated for 4 additional days and then assayed using the MTS-based proliferation assay for each cell line). (B and C): IC50 determinations by day of rescue. Mevalonate was added on the indicated day of lovastatin treatment. IC50 values were determined on day 6 (N ¼ 3 for each cell line). (B) HL60 Cells. (C) U937 Cells.Copyright information:Taken from "Statins induce lethal effects in acute myeloblastic lymphoma cells within 72 hours"Leukemia & Lymphoma 2008;49(2):322-330.Published online Jan 2008PMCID:PMC2430172.