title: Lovastatin inhibited the growth of gastric cancer cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gastric cancer cells required large amount of cholesterol to grow and proliferate. The objective of this study was to examine whether the growth of gastric cancer cells was inhibited in vivo by using lovastatin, an effective cholesterol-lowing drug.
  
  
  METHODS
  The mice models for gastric cancer cells MKN45 were divided into two groups, the control and experimental group. Lovastatin was administered orally to the experimental group, while saline given to the control group. We measured the volume and weight of tumors, and calculated RTV (relative tumor volume), T/C (relative added value of tumor) and the inhibition rate. Then the expression levels of PCNA in gastric cancer tissues were examined immunohistochemically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The volume of tumors in the control and experimental groups was 3.801 +/- 1.078 and 3.325 +/- 0.745, respectively (p > 0.05), while RTV was 49.684 +/- 12.250 and 42.506 +/- 10.515, respectively (p > 0.05). T/C, an indication of antitumor, was 85.55%. The weight of tumors of the mice in control and experimental group was 3.23 +/- 0.43 and 2.65 +/- 0.58, respectively (p < 0.05). The inhibition rate was 20.48%. The PCNA index in the lovastatin group was 32.35 +/- 6.43%, while in the control group was 91.24 +/- 6.59%. The PCNA index of lovastatin group was much lower (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lovastatin inhibited the growth of gastric cancer cells.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng-Qian
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xin-Jing
authors.lastname: Wei-Xinbing
authors.forename: Gao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhuang-Lei
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hong-Peng
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Songde
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pei-Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D011897:Random Allocation; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D047368:Tumor Burden
chemical_list: D008148:Lovastatin