title: Effect of fluvastatin on apoptosis in human CD4+ T cells.
abstract: Statins are lipid-lowering agents with pleiotropic effects. We investigated the apoptotic effects of fluvastatin on peripheral CD4+ T cells from healthy subjects. Fluvastatin induced apoptosis in resting CD4+ T cells but not in CD4+ T cells strongly activated with a high concentration of PMA plus ionomycin (PMA/I) analyzed with annexin V and propidium iodide staining. However, CD4+ T cells activated with a low concentration of PMA/I or with anti-CD3 antibodies were apoptotic after treatment with fluvastatin. Activities of caspases-8, -9, and -3 were increased in resting CD4+ T cells treated with fluvastatin (10 microM). In strongly activated CD4+ T cells, fluvastatin inhibited the activation of caspase-8 induced by PMA/I and increased caspase-9 activity. The caspase-3 activity did not differ between untreated and fluvastatin-treated strongly activated CD4+ T cells. Treatment with fluvastatin (10 microM) enhanced cytochrome c release and increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in both resting and strongly activated CD4+ T cells. Although the in vitro concentration of fluvastatin used in this study is higher than in vivo, other factors may sensitize apoptotic cell death of CD4+ T cells in vivo. In conclusion, fluvastatin induces apoptosis in resting T cells but not in strongly activated T cells, a difference that might be due to the interaction between caspase-8 and caspase-9.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Karen Thursday R
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Samson
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Minoguchi
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Naruhito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoe
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adachi
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077340:Fluvastatin; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015759:Ionomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D015240:Phorbol 12,13-Dibutyrate / Q000494:pharmacology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D017252:CD3 Complex; D005229:Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; D007211:Indoles; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D015240:Phorbol 12,13-Dibutyrate; D000077340:Fluvastatin; D015759:Ionomycin; D045304:Cytochromes c; D020169:Caspases