Statins can inhibit the replication of hepatitis C virus

A new study found that commonly used cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can also inhibit the replication of hepatitis C virus. They may replace ribavirin (antiviral) therapy used in combination with interferon to treat hepatitis C. The study, published in July in the journal Hepatology.

Currently, there are around 170 million people were hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Standard therapy for hepatitis C is interferon plus ribavirin, but this therapy is only effective in 55% of patients. The remaining 45% of patients develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer face the threat.

In previous studies, researchers at Okayama University in Japan that called lovastatin inhibin drugs (statin), can inhibit HCV replication. In the new study, the researchers examined the other statin drugs, hoping to get more effective anti-HCV drugs.

Analysis system using the OR6 cell lines, the researchers assessed the five kinds of statin-type drugs anti-hepatitis C virus activity, these drugs are atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin. When individually tested statins drugs, in addition to all the pravastatin drugs can inhibit the replication of hepatitis C virus, which Fluvastatin strongest effect. Atorvastatin and simvastatin effects are moderate and relatively weak effect of lovastatin. Although pravastatin did not show the activity of anti-hepatitis C virus, but it can act as inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase, which means taking statins other anti-HCV activity, not by direct inhibition of HMG-CoA.

In addition researchers also determined statins, anti-HCV activity and cytotoxic effects unrelated to kill, so they do not kill the host cell.

In addition, the researchers also examined each of the statins when used in combination with interferon anti-HCV effect. The results confirmed that in addition to the combination of pravastatin, the other each with a combination of interferon antiviral activity, to be higher than the statin alone. Moreover, fluvastatin plus interferon antiviral has the most activity.

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