title: [Will statins be used in dementia treatment?].
abstract: The paper presents current opinions on the mechanism of beta-amyloid accumulation, the role of cholesterol in the pathogenesis of dementia and observations of the role of statins in its development. Most of the observations were done on Alzheimer's disease, some of them concerned also dementia of a vascular origin and cognition. Statins are inhibitors of the cholesterol synthesis pathway. The mechanism of their action concerns not only their influence on the cholesterol level but also their influence on prenylation of various proteins and in consequence inhibition of inflammatory reactions. They exert also antioxidative activity. As the number of prospective studies is still insufficient the question whether statins could be used as drugs against dementia remains still unsolved.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Genetyki, Instytut Psychiatrii i Neurologii, ul. Sobieskiego 9, 02-957 Warszawa. wehr@ipin.edu.pl
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wehr
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bednarska-Makaruk
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D047495:PPAR gamma; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D002784:Cholesterol; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D053829:Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C509280:BACE1 protein, human