LOVASTATIN INDUCES GROWTH-INHIBITION AND APOPTOSIS IN HUMAN-MALIGNANTGLIOMA-CELLS

The competitive HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin has been shown to suppress growth and induce morphological changes in a variety of no n-glioma tumor cell lines. This study assesses the effects of this age nt on the growth and survival of the human malignant glioma cell lines A172 and U87-MG. The response to the drug was investigated using a ce ll proliferation assay which revealed significant dose-dependent growt h inhibition. Treatment with as little as 100 nM lovastatin over a per iod of 72 hours led to DNA degradation into nucleosome-sized fragments characteristic of apoptosis. Our data suggest that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors such as lovastatin merit further investigation as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of malignant gliomas. (C) 1994 A cademic Press, Inc.