Statin therapy and diabetic skin.
OBJECTIVE
Statins are widely used drugs for reducing cholesterol levels. The aim of this study was to observe the effects of statin therapy on skin histopathology in both normal and diabetic mice.


METHODS
45 Swiss albino mice were studied in 4 sub-groups: control, statin-treated control, diabetic, and statin-treated diabetic. The first group was diabetic-induced with 250 mg/kg of streptozosin administered intravenously. The second group served as the control. Four weeks after streptozosin injection, both diabetic and control groups were divided into 2 sub-groups and 1 mg/kg/d simvastatin was injected for 14 d intraperitoneally to form the statin-treated control and statin-treated diabetic groups. The remaining 2 groups formed the untreated control and untreated diabetic groups. Histopathological examination of the skin was made with haematoxylin eosin staining under a light microscope.


RESULTS
There was no apparent difference between the groups in epidermal thickness, proliferative activity, dermal thickness and composition. Cystic dilatations in the infundibulum of hair follicles with distorted and smaller sebaceous glands were seen in the statin-treated control, diabetic, and statin-treated diabetic groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that there is altered lipid synthesis in the sebaceous glands in both diabetic and statin-treated groups.
Cakmak
S
S
Ministry of Health, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Dermatology Clinic, Ankara, Turkey. seraycakmak@yahoo.com
Gül
U
U
Gönül
M
M
Demiriz
M
M
Cakmak
A
A
D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects*
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D019821:Simvastatin