The effects of statins on the function and differentiation of blood cells

Sajjad Chamani; Omid Kooshkaki; Maryam Moossavi; Mandana Rastegar; Sara Saffar Soflaei; Alice P McCloskey; Maciej Banach; Amirhossein Sahebkar

doi:10.5114/aoms/158546

The effects of statins on the function and differentiation of blood cells

Arch Med Sci. 2022 Dec 25;19(5):1314-1326. doi: 10.5114/aoms/158546. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Sajjad Chamani^{1

2}, Omid Kooshkaki², Maryam Moossavi³, Mandana Rastegar³, Sara Saffar Soflaei⁴, Alice P McCloskey⁵, Maciej Banach^{6

7}, Amirhossein Sahebkar^{8

9

10

11}

Affiliations

¹ Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Sciences (BUMS), Birjand, Iran.
² Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
³ Department of Molecular Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁵ School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
⁶ Department of Hypertension, WAM University Hospital, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
⁷ Department of Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Diseases, Polish Mothers Memorial Hospital Research Institute (PMMHRI), Lodz, Poland.
⁸ Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁹ Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
¹⁰ School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
¹¹ Department of Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Statins are inhibitors of β-hydroxy β-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase (HMGCR). They are used in patients with cardiovascular risk and/or suffering with cardiovascular disease. In addition to their efficient lipid-lowering effects, statins exhibit independent so called pleiotropic effects potentially affecting several immune response properties including immune cell activation, migration, cytokine generation, immune metabolism, and survival. Statins also regulate innate and acquired immunity. The focus of this review is to highlight the role of statins in modulating the function and differentiation of various blood cells. Given the proposed wider application of these medicines and their potentially important advantages in treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, more studies are needed with special focus on the molecular targets of statins included in regulating the immune response.

Keywords: cardiovascular health; cell differentiation; lipid-lowering therapies; statins.