Production of Lovastatin and its Lipid-lowering and Anti-Cancer Effects

Abstract

Lovastatin is traditionally used to reduce the amount of cholesterol and lipid levels in many diseases, but its anti-cancer properties are now discovered. By regulating and modulating crucial signaling small G-proteins of cancer cell including Rho, Rac, and Ras, lovastatin can alter cancer cell division, migration, and induce cell death. Lovastatin has a similar structure to HMG-CoA and thus can competitively bind to HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) and work as a hypolipidemic medicine. The anti-cancer effect of lovastatin had led to extensive research. It had been confirmed based on many in-vitro studies that lovastatin had obvious inhibitory effects on different kinds of cancer. In addition, lovastatin can increase therapeutic effect since it regulates the cell signaling pathway which induces cell cycle arrests. This article covers the application of lovastatin and cancer treatment. Lovastatin has shown promising anti-cancer properties in breast cancers, ovarian cancers and breast cancers, but more evidence is needed to determine its anti-cancer properties in-vivo and in humans.