Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, in collaboration with scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), the Baylor College of Medicine, and the Georgia Regents University, report for the first time that the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin inhibits the growth of human uterine fibroid tumors. These new data were published online on October 30, 2014, and are scheduled to appear in the January print edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC). Statins, such as simvastatin, are commonly prescribed to lower high cholesterol levels. Statins work by blocking an early step in cholesterol production. Beyond these well-known cholesterol-lowering abilities, statins also combat certain tumors. Statins have previously been shown to have anti-tumor effects on breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, leukemia, and lung cancers. The effect of statins on uterine fibroids was previously unknown. “Non-cancerous uterine fibroids are the most common type of tumor in the female reproductive system, accounting for half of the 600,000 hysterectomies done annually in the U.S. Their estimated annual cost is up to $34 billion in the U.S. alone,” said UTMB’s Dr. Mostafa Borahay, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology and lead author of the JBC article. “Despite this, the exact cause of these tumors is not well understood, as there are several genetic, familial, and hormonal abnormalities linked with their development.” The current study investigated the impact of simvastatin on human uterine fibroid cell growth. The researchers revealed that simvastatin impedes the growth of uterine fibroid tumor cells. The researchers also studied the way simvastatin works to suppress these tumors.Login Or Register To Read Full Story