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Statins Inhibit Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 1 Expression in Endometriosis

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Abstract

Statins are potent inhibitors of the endogenous mevalonate pathway. Besides inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis, statins may also demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is implicated in the attachment and invasion of endometrial cells to the peritoneal surface and growth of ectopic endometrium by inducing proliferation and angiogenesis. In this study, the effect of statins on monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) expression in endometriotic implants in nude mouse model and in cultured endometriotic cells was evaluated. In mouse model, simvastatin decreased MCP-1 expression in a dose-dependent manner in endometriotic implants (P < .05). Similarly, both simvastatin and mevastatin revealed a dose-dependent inhibition of MCP-1 production in cultured endometriotic cells (P < .01). This inhibitory effect of the statins on MCP-1 production was reversed by the downstream substrates of the mevalonate pathway. Moreover, statins decreased MCP-1 messenger RNA expression in cultured endometriotic cells (P < .05). In conclusion, statins exert anti-inflammatory effect in endometriotic cells and could provide a potential treatment of endometriosis in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

    Hakan Cakmak MD, Murat Basar PhD, Yasemin Seval-Celik PhD, Hugh S. Taylor MD, Charles J. Lockwood MD & Aydin Arici MD

  2. Department of Histology and Embryology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Murat Basar PhD

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Women’s Reproductive Health Research Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Kevin G. Osteen PhD

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Antoni J. Duleba MD

Authors
  1. Hakan Cakmak MD
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  2. Murat Basar PhD
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  3. Yasemin Seval-Celik PhD
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  4. Kevin G. Osteen PhD
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  5. Antoni J. Duleba MD
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  6. Hugh S. Taylor MD
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  8. Aydin Arici MD
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Correspondence to Aydin Arici MD.

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Cakmak, H., Basar, M., Seval-Celik, Y. et al. Statins Inhibit Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 1 Expression in Endometriosis. Reprod. Sci. 19, 572–579 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719111430998

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