Statins - are they anticonvulsant?

Abstract

Statins are the most popular and effective lipid-lowering medications beneficial in hypercholesterolemias and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Growing evidence supports theory that statins exhibit neuroprotective action in acute stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or epilepsy. Hereby, we present available experimental data regarding action of this group of drugs on seizure activity and neuronal cell death. The most commonly examined statins, such as atorvastatin and simvastatin, display anticonvulsant action with only inconsiderable exceptions. However, the mechanism of this effect remains unexplained. Simvastatin, as a lipophilic statin, which can pass blood-brain barrier easily, was recommended as the best candidate for an anticonvulsant agent. Nevertheless, it is still indistinct, whether the protective activity of statins depends on cholesterol lowering properties or its pleiotropic characteristics. One of the most interesting of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A inhibitor's actions involves influence on nitric oxide metabolism.

Keywords: Epilepsy; HMGCoA inhibitors; Neuroprotection; Seizures; Statins.