TY - JOUR T1 - Brain Cholesterol Synthesis in Mice Is Affected by High Dose of Simvastatin but Not of Pravastatin JF - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther SP - 1146 LP - 1152 DO - 10.1124/jpet.105.094136 VL - 316 IS - 3 AU - Karin M. Thelen AU - Katharina M. Rentsch AU - Ursula Gutteck AU - Maura Heverin AU - Maria Olin AU - Ulla Andersson AU - Arnold von Eckardstein AU - Ingemar Björkhem AU - Dieter Lütjohann Y1 - 2006/03/01 UR - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/316/3/1146.abstract N2 - On a global scale, there is an increasing tendency for a more aggressive treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Minor effects of statins on brain cholesterol metabolism have been reported in some in vivo animal studies, and it seems that this is due to a local effect of the drug. We treated male mice of the inbred strain C57/BL6 with a high daily dose of lipophilic simvastatin (100 mg/kg b.wt.) or hydrophilic pravastatin (200 mg/kg b.wt.) or vehicle (controls) by oral gavage for 3 days. To compare the impact of both statins on brain cholesterol synthesis and degradation, levels of cholesterol, its precursor lathosterol, and its brain metabolite 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol as well as statin concentrations were determined in whole-brain lipid extracts using mass spectrometry. The expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-coenzyme A (CoA) reductase mRNA and of other target genes were evaluated using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In addition, analysis of liver and serum samples was performed. Similar levels of simvastatin and pravastatin were detected in whole-brain homogenates. Cholesterol contents in the brain, liver, and serum were not affected by high-dose statin treatment. Whereas brain cholesterol precursor levels were reduced in simvastatin-treated animals only, no effect was observed on the formation of the brain cholesterol metabolite, 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol. Polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that mRNA expression of HMG-CoA reductase and ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 in the brain was significantly up-regulated in simvastatin-treated animals compared with pravastatin-treated or control animals. We conclude that, under the present experimental conditions, brain cholesterol synthesis is significantly affected by short-term treatment with high doses of lipophilic simvastatin, whereas whole-brain cholesterol turnover is not disturbed. ER -